


The Consequences Of Our Actions

by MichLC



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Team Arrow
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2014-09-06
Packaged: 2018-02-05 07:10:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1809763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MichLC/pseuds/MichLC
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story line begins one month after Oliver defeats and imprisons Slade.  I wanted to explore what would happen if Oliver realizes he loves Felicity and how he's going to deal with the aftermath of his "unthinkable" act.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Work In Progress

_When her blood lies at your feet, then you will know how I feel!  Slade shouts._

Oliver jerks awake.  His heart is pounding and he's covered in sweat. His last memory of the nightmare was the look of terror on Felicity’s face.  He has had the same nightmare almost every night for the last month since leaving Slade on Lian Yu, and even though he knows Slade is in “purgatory” and Felicity is safe in Starling City, he still fears for her safety. Yes, he willingly used her as bait to help him defeat Slade, but it was unthinkable that he should use someone he cares so deeply for in such a way.  He knows the reason for the continuous nightmare was in part due to guilt; guilt in using her, guilt in that she almost died, but mostly guilt that he told her he loved her and allowed her to think it was a lie.  Despite all the people he’s killed and all of the horrible things he had to do to survive on the island, this has to be the worst thing he could have ever done.

He’s not sure when it happened. He guesses it could have happened when she asked him why he slept with Isabel.  It could have been the night the Count almost injected her with the deadly Vertigo.  It could have even been on one of the numerous times she teased, encouraged or challenged his ego. One thing was for sure, he was in love with Felicity Smoak, and what’s worse is that he has no idea what to do about it.

It’s 4am and rather than try to go back to sleep, Oliver decides to head to the new lair to work on the set up. It’s taken a bit of time due to lack of funds mostly, but it was coming along nicely.  He could work on setting up the training area some more and maybe get in a few hours of training while he’s at it.  With his mind made up, he gets out of bed to get dressed. His temporary living arrangements are horrible compared to living at Queen manor, but while the lawyers work on getting him his company back as well as his home and club, he didn’t see the need to spend anymore money than necessary when the money he had saved needed to go towards fixing up the new lair. 

Sleep?  Felicity doesn’t even know what that is anymore.  Since leaving Lian Ye, she hadn’t gotten anymore than 3 hours of sleep every night.  So she spends a lot of her time at the new lair either working on computers or working out. How surprised are Oliver and John going to be when she develops enough muscle to actually lay one of them out on that mat? She smirks to herself at the image forming in her head.  John would go easy on her, but Oliver?  No way! He’d put up a good fight, but with her gaining strength and the tips Sara gave her before leaving town, she felt pretty confident that it won’t be long before she could hold her own.

It’s 4:15am and here she is surrounded by the best computers and gym equipment that money could buy, and all she keeps thinking about is the dream she keeps having every night that is causing her insomnia. She’s at Queen manor with Oliver and he’s telling her he loves her.  God, she is such an idiot!  Of course he doesn’t love her.  A month later, as everyone is trying to get back to their “normal” lives, well as normal as a team of vigilante’s could be, she hasn’t spent anymore than a few minutes alone with Oliver.  John is either around, or John and Lyla or Roy, or Roy and John, and occasionally Laurel. The team unilaterally decided not to divulge the location of their new operation to Laurel yet until they could all trust her more.

Sighing, Felicity turns to get up from the desk and makes her way to the locker room to change for her workout.

When Oliver walked in 10 minutes later, he wasn’t expecting to find anyone there, but as he walked past the desks towards the workout area, he hears grunting in between singing.  Something about hitting with your best shot.  Stopping in his tracks, he immediately recognizes the voice. His Felicity.  He smiles and starts to make his way to the wall dividing the office from the workout area and stops realizing that it’s just the two of them here.  He’s pretty certain John isn’t going to be walking in here at 4:30 in the morning. Suddenly he’s nervous, but maybe this is a good thing.  Maybe it’s time he and Felicity spend some alone time together.  Maybe it’s time for him to explore his feelings and their relationship.

Spying his head around the corner of the wall, he peeks in on her.  Her back is to him and she’s punching and kicking the punching bag hanging from the rafters. He notices she has some of the weights down on the floor...15 and 25 pounders.  Impressive!  He stands there for a few minutes to admire her technique.  Clearly she’s been doing this a while.  He watches her for a few minutes and notices a few of Sara’s moves. Clearly she’s been paying attention and his chest fills with pride as it always does when she surprises him.

Felicity is so wrapped up in her workout and music and she loves it.  Had she known that working out like this would help release some pent up physical, not to mention sexual, frustrations, she would have done it ages ago.  She decides to try a roundhouse on the dummy standing just to her right.  Putting every ounce of energy into it, she swings her leg and kicks the dummy so hard that it actually snaps back a few inches.  Smiling to herself, she turns again and screams.  “Oliver! Geez, you scared the crap out of me! What are you doing here at this hour?”

“I could ask you the same thing. How long have you been working on your own like this?”  He asks.

“Well…” she hesitates.  Should she be honest and tell him she can’t sleep because all she can think about is his admission of love that was a lie, or should she just be coy?  “You know I was working with Digg and Sara for a while, but mostly by myself in the last month.” So not necessarily a lie.

“Hmm, I didn’t realize you were interested in upping the ante with your training.  How about we go a round?”  He asks. “That roundhouse you just did was pretty on point.  I’m impressed.”

Is he serious right now?  How long had he been standing there anyway? “Um, ok.”

Oliver walks fully into the room, drops his bag on the floor and removes his shirt.  Felicity just gawks and swallows.  Really? Is that totally necessary? He’s killing me!

They take their fighting stance and Oliver slowly starts circling her.  He decides to go easy on her at first, wanting to see just how much she’s learned. So when he goes in for the first few punches, she easily blocks or sidesteps him.  Very good, he thinks.  Let’s kick this up a notch. 

Suddenly he moves faster and can tell she’s getting a bit flustered by the change in his stance.  She reaches out to punch him several times and he blocks each time. On her fourth try, her fist makes contact makes contact with his chin and he’s momentarily stunned. Before he knows it, she kicks his legs out from under him and is straddling his chest with her forearm to his windpipe.  Blinking several times, he looks up at her smirking face.  A second turns into 20 and they’re just staring at each other. Her face becomes impassive with that far off look that she gets sometimes when he knows she’s thinking too much. Quick to break the tension, Oliver grabs her by the elbows, flips her onto her back and is then straddling her holding her hands up by her head.  Her stunned expression is priceless.

“Don’t get cocky,” he reminds her.

That comment seems to anger her. He sees her brow furrow, and she spits out “Don’t worry, I won’t.  Let me up please.”

He gets up and grabs her hand to assist her. She pulls it from his grasp. “I’m fine,” she says, and gets up on her own.

“Do you want to go again?” Oliver asks.

“No thanks.  I prefer working alone,” she replies and turns to leave.

Oliver grabs her hand and pulls her back. “What’s going on with you Felicity?”

God, she hates when he says her name. He always says it with a seductive tone that seeps into her brain, drains down into her heart and squeezes it. Cleaning up Starling City is just as important to her as it is to him, but she’s not sure how much longer she could continue to work with him and feel the way she does.

“Nothing.  I’m fine,” she replies.  “I guess I’m not ready for hand to hand combat.  I’ll ask John to teach me weapons next.”

“Even with a weapon, you have to have strict control over your emotions Felicity,” he says.

In a raised voice, Felicity says “and what the hell do you know about emotions Oliver?  You’re like a freaking robot most of the time.”  She could tell that comment hurt him because he always get this hurt look in his eyes when she puts him in his place, which seems to be more often than not lately.

Oliver stares at her for a moment in stunned silence. How could she say that to him? He cares.  He cares deeply.  Maybe even a little too deeply.  How many times has he saved her or John or Thea or anyone else in his life that he cared about? Far too many to count.

Sighing heavily, he says, “I’m sorry if you’re angry at me Felicity.  Things have been a little crazy since Lian Yu between setting up the lair and me trying to get my company back.  I know I haven’t been there for you very much, and I should have been.  Especially since Slade almost took you from me.”

Felicity simply stares at him. Yeah, God forbid he would have to deal with his own computers or learn to hack into any system for information that he wants or needs.

Oliver is still holding her hand and she looks down at their hands.  Suddenly it’s as if a floodgate opened and the tears begin to form.  She shakes her head vigorously.  “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

Pulling her hand out of his, she walks out without even a backward glance.

 


	2. What were you thinking?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter, Oliver finally admits to Diggle what happened and he's surprised by not only his response, but the other members of the team.

“Oliver?” Somewhere in the back of his mind Oliver hears his name. “Oliver?!” Diggle shouts.

Oliver startles and looks up to find Diggle standing over him at the arrow worktable. “Hey Digg. When did you get here?”

“Oliver, I’ve been standing here for about three minutes trying to get your attention,” Diggle responds.

“Hmm, really?” Oliver asks. “I guess I was just concentrating on sharpening my arrows.”

“Oliver, you just sharpened those yesterday. What’s going on with you man?” He asks.

Oliver has never told Diggle the conversation that transpired between himself and Felicity that night at the manor. He doesn’t know that he used Felicity to get to Slade or that said he loved her so that Slade would take her. Deep down, he knew that if he told him that he would probably kick his ass. May as well face the music now. “I think I really screwed up John.”

“With what?” Diggle asks.

“With so many things but most importantly, with Felicity,” he says as he hangs his head.

“Oh God, what did you to that girl now?” Diggle sighs and rolls his eyes.

So over the course of the next half hour Oliver confesses it all. What he did, why he did it and his regrets for doing it; even though it all worked out ok in the end, but at what cost? He admits to Diggle that he’s scared and confused, and he’s worried things will never be the same. He hasn’t been scared since his first year on the island, and even after that there was so much to be scared about.

All throughout his confession, Diggle’s face goes from complete and utter anger to shock and amazed. When Oliver finishes, he’s expecting Diggle to clock right in the mouth, but instead he grabs a chair and sits down next to him.

“Oliver, I’m fairly certain that you’ve been in love with Felicity for a while. You protect her like she’s yours, you are jealous when she’s not and you respect everything she says and does. I knew you’d realize it sooner or later, but I never imagined you’d go to the lengths you did. What were you thinking?” He finally asks.

“I don’t know. When Detective Lance came to tell us that Slade had taken Laurel and Felicity told me I needed to outthink him, I just went with my gut. Slade did have the wrong woman and I couldn’t allow Laurel to die for me. I needed you and Lyla at Argus and Roy, Sara and the League to help me defeat the Mirakuru army. It was just a matter of time before Slade figured out whom I loved the most. I thought if I preempted the attack that I could have the advantage over him.” Oliver places his head in his hands.

“All I can tell you to do Oliver is talk to her. She’s gotten so many mixed signals from you that she probably doesn’t even know which end is up right now. The real question here is, do you want to be with her?” Diggle asked.

He hesitates at first. Does he? How would that even work? Finally, he says “I don’t know how Digg.”

“You know Oliver, I’ve learned many things from my years in the service, and working with you here. You’re a good guy and you care deeply, but the consequences of our actions don’t have to define who we are,” he says. “For once, maybe you should let your heart guide you.”

“Let his heart guide him for what?” Roy says as he walks in.

“Oliver is in love with Felicity,” Diggle responds.

“Yeah, no kidding. That’s old news,” Roy laughs.

Oliver sits in stunned silence. “Ok, who else knows?” 

“Hmm, probably everyone man. Digg, me, Laurel, Sara…take your pick,” Roy says with a snicker.

In that moment, Sara’s speech to him about Oliver deserving someone who could “harness that light that was still inside him” rolls around in his brain. Is that what she meant when she said it? Was she referring of Felicity? 

“How am I the only one in the dark about all of this?” Oliver asks them with exasperation.

Diggle and Roy just look at him and shrug in unison. “Look man, there’s been a lot going on in the last year. Between dealing with your family issues, losing your company and taking down Slade, I’m surprised you even noticed us,” Roy says as he points to himself and Diggle.

“So I go back to my last question. Do you want to be with her?” Diggle asks again.

Oliver hesitates and says “I gotta go. I’ll talk to you guys later. Roy, I want you to run through some defensive routines with Diggle. We need to patrol in the Glades tonight. According to Detective Lance, there’s some chatter about some new gunrunners in town down by the docks.”

Without another word, he heads out to think. Before he realizes it, he’s at Laurel’s office waiting to see her. Even with their history, Laurel was always able to help her gain perspective, and now that she knew his true identity, she was even more supportive.

“Hey Ollie! How are you?” Laurel smiles.

“Good. How are you? Busy I see. District Attorney looks pretty good on you,” he notices. Laurel was hired as the new DA after the last one was murdered by one of Slade’s Mirakuru goons.

“Yes, it has been nuts! I’m sorry that I haven’t been in touch much. When I’m not here I’m with my Dad,” she admits.

“How is the great Detective Lance?” Oliver asks.

“He’s so much better. The doctor says he can go back to work at the end of the month, but light duty only. That went over well as I am sure you can imagine,” she says with raised eyebrows. “So what brings you by?”

“Can I ask you to be completely and brutally honest with me about something?” He asks.

“Of course. Have a seat,” she motions to a plush leather chair facing her desk. She takes her seat on the other side and smiles.

“Aside from having an affair with your sister, was I good boyfriend?” He asks.

Laurel’s smile fades and she sits quietly in contemplation. Ok, this can’t be good, right? “Why are you asking me this now Ollie? You are a totally different man now. Do we really need to revisit the past, again?” she says.

“I’m at a crossroad Laurel. I just discovered myself to be in love,” he admits.

“Right, with Felicity,” she replies with confidence.

“Oh God, the guys said you knew too,” he says as he puts his face in his hand.

“Ollie, I was there the night you fought Slade to rescue Felicity and I, remember? You said you loved her. Are you trying to tell me that you were lying that night? Because if you say you were lying, then the only lying you were doing was to yourself. You had such conviction in your eyes when you said it. There was little doubt it was true to me, or Slade for that matter,” she says.

“I don’t know what to do Laurel. Felicity barely speaks to me and I can’t sleep, I hardly eat. All I do is what I know how to do…be the Arrow,” he says with a sigh.

“Ollie, you care so deeply about so many things. You asked me if you were you a good boyfriend? Back then, no you were not. You were spoiled, self centered and partied way too much, but I was ok with that because I was all those things too. However, the man sitting before me today is not any of those things anymore. He’s passionate, caring, determined and focused. Give yourself a break and forgive yourself. I know I have,” she states with a nod.

Oliver stands and thanks Laurel for her time and honesty. As he’s leaving her office, his phone chimes and since each member of his team has their own tone on his phone, he knows exactly who’s messaging him before he even looks. He looks at his phone, replies quickly and enters the elevator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm happy you guys are enjoying my story. I wanted to convey Oliver's inner conflict. Hopefully I did that for you here. Chapter 3 is already underway. Enjoy and as I always, I appreciate the feedback!


	3. Maybe a change of scenery will help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver attempts to apologize to Felicity and confess his true feelings. It doesn't go so well when he finds out her plans to leave Starling City.

Two days later Felicity is sitting on her sofa watching The Avengers. Ever since going to work for Oliver she can’t seem to get enough action in her life. She loves losing herself in these types of movies. It’s Friday night and she hasn’t been back to the lair since Oliver found her working out. She needed some distance and decided to text him that she felt like the flu was coming on. He simply responded ok. It wasn’t like Oliver to not dig deeper, but she didn’t care. She had an agenda and she needed to stick to it.

She started looking for a new job right at that very moment. After all, Oliver can’t pay her anymore and she can’t keep living off of her savings. Fate intervened in the form of a phone call this morning from Barry Allen at Star Labs. He’d heard about the Queen Consolidated take over and wanted to offer a job to set up his new division’s computer system. It would start off as temporary but the pay would be good and if all goes well for him, a more permanent position may be down the road. So with very little thought, she tells him yes. He couldn’t divulge much over the phone, but she was pretty sure it was on a need to know basis for now. That was ok with her because she didn’t need to know much. She just needed a change of scenery.

Suddenly a knock at her door startles her and she squeals. You would think after all this time she would be prepared for even the smallest of noises, but no such luck. Walking to the front door, she peers through the peephole to see Oliver in her line of sight. She thinks oh God, what is he doing here?

Oliver knocks again. “Felicity, I know you’re home. I heard you squeal.”

Damn these thin walls! Unlocking the door, she opens it just enough for him to see her face. “What’s up Oliver?”

“So you must be feeling better, huh?” He asks.

Oh right, the flu. “Oh yeah, much better,” she fake coughs for good measure. “A couple of days rest helped a lot.” She stands there for moment and stares. She figures the less she says, the better. Maybe he’ll turn around and leave.

“May I come in?” He asks.

No such luck. “Oh, sure. I’m sorry. Come in.” She opens the door wider and steps back to allow him into her apartment.

“Felicity…”

“Oliver…”

They stop and stare at each other. “Sorry. What were you about to say?” She asks.

“I think we need to talk,” he replies.

“Oh yeah? What about?” She asks.

“Where do I start?” he says.

“I actually need to talk to you too,” she says. “Can I get you anything to drink?” She offers.

“No, I’m good,” he says as he takes a seat on her sofa. 

She sits down next to him as far away as she can, which is next to impossible since he decided to sit almost in the dead center of the sofa. So she leans onto armrest to gain a few more inches of distance.

Oliver notices and cocks his head in question. When she just smiles at him and he decides to move a few inches in the opposite direction to give her space. He could usually always gage her moods. He’s always been pretty sure of himself where she was concerned. Maybe that was the problem.

“Before you say anything Oliver, I need to be honest with you,” she says. “I think I need a break from the team for a while.”

Nothing could have shocked Oliver more. She was as committed to the cause as he was. “When you say a break, what do you mean?” He asks nervously.

“I was offered a temporary position by Barry at Star Labs. It could turn into a more permanent position, but for now it’s temporary,” she says. “I’ve been living off my savings for the last month and to be honest, I can’t keep doing that.”

“Felicity, I’m working on getting QC back, and when I do…” he stammers, “well I want you to run the Applied Science Department.”

Felicity blinks in surprise. She always wanted to run that department. Felicity holds her breath and is at a loss for words. For the first time in her life, she can’t even think of anything to babble about. She feels her hands start to shake and moisture gathering on her forehead.

“Well maybe when you get QC back, we can talk about that, but for now, I think I need to go,” she says.

Oliver suddenly feels a sense of urgency and a fear creeps into his stomach. If she goes to work for Barry they may rekindle their little attraction and where does that leave him? He can’t lose her. Not now that he knows how he truly feels. For lack of something better to do, he stands and paces.

“Is this because of what happened with Slade?” He asks.

“No…yes…I don’t know, maybe. It may be partly, but the truth is, I need to work. I’ve got bills to pay and I know you can’t pay me right now. I’m doing this just as much for you as I am for myself,” she says.

“That is a load of crap and you know it!” He shouts.

Felicity startles and stands up. “What do you want from me Oliver?”

Quickly, he shouts, “Felicity, I lied to you!”

“Oh yeah, about what?” She asks.

Gathering his courage, he sighs. “When I told you I loved you that night at the manor…I was trying to…I was trying to protect you.”

“Yes, I know Oliver! I don’t need you to keep throwing it in my face. You don’t love me! I get it! I know it was all part of the plan to get Slade, and guess what? It worked. You got him, with my help I might add,” she says.

“No! Please listen to me. I was trying to protect you from me,” he adds.

“What do you mean?” She asks. “I have more than proved to you and Diggle that I can look after myself. I don’t need nor do I want your protection anymore. I think a Samurai sword to the neck and me poking Slade with a needle full of the cure proved that, don’t you?”

Oh God! This is not going well. He doesn’t know how to do this. He can be the playboy millionaire when it called for it, but it isn’t who he truly is anymore. The suave playboy doesn’t and never has worked on Felicity. She’s always called him out on it. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe time apart would be better than more time together, but why didn’t it feel right?

“Look Oliver, I really need to pack and make my travel arrangements. So if you don’t mind,” she said, interrupting his inner monologue.

“I’ll take you to Central City,” he offers.

“That is so not necessary. I don’t need to ride you…I mean get a ride with you!” She quickly recovers. Clearly her babbling was back.

He smiles. “I insist. Consider it a gift to me. Allow me to protect you one last time, at least until you return to Starling City,” he says with a little begging in his voice.

Sighing, Felicity considers it. Her brain is screaming RUN, and RUN FAST, but her heart is saying a little more time with him couldn't hurt. She would have a few fond memories to take with her to Central City. “Ok Oliver. Fine. Take me. I mean, take me to Central City.”

“Ok, when do we leave?” He smiles.

“I need to start the job on Wednesday morning. So Sunday?” She asks.

“Ok, I’ll pick you up around 10am. Sound good?” He asks.

“Sounds good,” she replies with a slight smile.

As Oliver leaves her apartment, he starts to form a plan in his mind. He may fly by the seat of his pants when he’s the Arrow, but this situation was going to need some careful planning. As he descends the stairs of her apartment building, he pulls out his cell phone and calls Diggle.


	4. The Last Mission?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team comes together to try to put a gunrunner out of business, but Oliver may be in for the shock of his life.

The last couple of days went by in a blur. Because Felicity was still devoted to keeping Starling City safe, she worked with the team to try to track down the new gunrunners. According to Intel, the leader only known as Vespa, has been supplying gangbangers with automatic weapons and Oliver is determined to take them down. Unfortunately, no one has ever laid eyes on this Vespa. So he had to settle for taking down the men who worked for him in the hopes it would draw him out.

“Felicity, where are we with the satellite?” He asks her as he hides in the shadows.

“I’m looking at a schematic of an old warehouse that we think may be housing the guns. According to the satellite, there are have only been two SUV’s in and out of that area for the last few days. What does the infrared show you?” She responds.

“I can see about ten suspects so far but the building is large. There could be more. Digg, what do you see?” He asks into his commlink.

“I see two guys patrolling the dock. They look to be carrying semi-automatics,” Diggle whispers.

“Roy?” Oliver asks.

“There are four men on the roof. I don’t think they are carrying the same caliber weapons. These weapons look bigger.” Roy responds.

“AK-47’s maybe?” Diggle pipes in.

Oliver considers his options for a few moments. There’s no guarantee that this Vespa will be in the warehouse. They could easily take down these men, but for the first time, he was concerned for the safety of his team. They had never tried to take down a group of this size.

“Oliver, I have Detective Lance on the line,” Felicity’s voice comes through to his ears like a caress and it momentarily comforts him. Oliver turns on his electronic voice.

“Detective…how are you?” Oliver asks.

“Good and ready to kick ass!” Lance replies.

“Did Felicity fill you in on what we found?” He asked.

“Yeah. There’s no guarantee Vespa’s in there. I haven’t been able to get any more information other than that warehouse,” Lance says. “I have a team ready for you just one block away. It’s your call my friend.”

Oliver smiles at that last statement. It’s safe to say he and Lance have come a long way. Not once has the Detective asked for Oliver’s true identity under the hood since that first year as the vigilante, and so far the Detective’s daughter, and his former girlfriend, has kept his secret as well.

“It’s time to take them down. Let me and my team go in and then your men follow in three minutes. Roy, you’re up,” Oliver commands.

“Please be careful you guys. I don’t want my last mission with you to be...just be careful,” Felicity whispers.

For the next five minutes, all Felicity can hear is grunting and gunshots being fired. She doesn’t dare speak because she not only doesn’t want to distract them from their task, but she is scared to death they may never answer. Several times she catches herself holding her breath, and suddenly everything goes quiet.

“Oliver?” She asks shakily. No answer. “Oliver?!”

“Felicity?” It’s Diggle. Thank God.

“John, is everyone ok?” She asks.

“Roy and I are ok, but we can’t find Oliver,” Diggle admits.

“Oliver?” Felicity asks again. Another minute passes, and she faintly hears his breath in her ear.

“I’m here, I’m fine,” he says. “I had to stay quiet because I chased Vespa down to the docks, but she got away in a speedboat.”

“Did you just say she?” Diggle asks.

“Yes. Apparently, Vespa is a woman,” Oliver says calmly.

“How do you know that was Vespa and why do I get the feeling this is so not going to be good?” Felicity asks.

“Hey guys, we gotta go. Lance is here with his team and they are doing a thorough sweep of the warehouse,” Roy warns.

“Ok, let’s head back. Lance will fill us in,” Oliver says.

Twenty minutes later, they’re at the lair with the Detective on speakerphone. “So it seems we intercepted a big shipment that had just come in, but from what we can gather from the two guys we took into custody, a very large shipment is on its way into the city. You were right, Vespa was there but her guards got her out before you could catch up.”

“Any ideas how they are getting the next shipment into the city yet?” Felicity asks.

“No, but if its as large as they say, I’m thinking by boat. There’s no way they could get something like that in under the radar at the airport,” Lance says. “I’ll keep you guys posted.”

After Lance hangs up, Oliver ponders what he saw down at the docks. He couldn’t be sure, but he was fairly certain that Vespa was his sister Thea. They had the same build, and even though he was some distance away, she moved like Thea but with more agility. When she turned back to look at him briefly, he could have sworn he saw his mother’s eyes. Until he knew for sure, he decided not to mention it. If it was Thea, he was concerned Roy wouldn’t be able to deal with it too easily.

“Well guys, I’m beat and Lyla just texted me. She’s feeling emotional lately. I guess because of the hormones with the baby. Call me if you hear anything, ok?” Diggle says.

“Yeah, you guys head home,” Oliver responds. “I’ll call if anything new develops.”

Diggle and Roy head out and Felicity swivels her chair back to the computer screen to shut down. Oliver still can’t believe she’s leaving. Every time he thinks about it, he feels his gut twisting. He turns away to remove his hood and store his bow and quiver.

“So, one more day and then we head to Central City. You all packed up?” He asks her.

“Yeah, pretty much. I’m keeping my apartment here for now. Caitlin is putting me up temporarily until I decide what to do. So it’ll just be a couple of suitcases. Besides, I’m just a four-hour train ride away. I’ll be back to visit,” she says.

Visit? Has she already decided to stay there permanently? He’s too afraid to ask. “Well, we are going to miss you, you know?”

“I’ll miss everyone too, but you know, there are such things are the phone and Skype,” she says with a forced smile.

She’ll miss everyone. She didn’t say she’d miss him. “Felicity, I…”

“Well, I’m heading out,” she interrupts. “I’m tired and I have a lot to do tomorrow before I leave. Did you get our tickets?” She asks.

Since the only form of transportation that Oliver has at the moment is his motorcycle, Felicity suggested they take the train. “Yes. I got them. We leave at 5pm on Tuesday. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get an earlier ticket.”

“That’s ok. Barry said he’d put you up for a night before you head back,” she said. “As long as I am there in enough time to start on Wednesday morning, it will be fine. Good night,” she adds as she turns to leave.

“Good night Felicity,” Oliver says.


	5. Saying Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity makes final preparations for her departure and says goodbye to her friends, but not before a surprise visit from Laurel.

The next day Felicity is putting the finishing touches on her packing when she hears a knock at her door. Making her way to the door, she asks “who’s there?”

“It’s me, Laurel,” came a voice from the door.

Felicity opened the door and smiled. “Hi. Come on in.”

Laurel made her way into the apartment with a grace that Felicity always admired. Laurel Lance was beautiful and smart, and Felicity respected her. She was also always a little jealous of her. Laurel had a history with Oliver that Felicity hated a little. When Felicity first met Oliver, he had always said that Laurel was the one thought in his head that kept him alive on the island. His goal was to win her back, and they had even made a go of it for short time, only to discover that they were both two different people now. Tommy’s death only solidified what they already knew. Their time was over.

“So what’s up?” Felicity asked.

“I wanted to come by for a couple of reasons actually. I know you’re leaving tomorrow and I wanted to say goodbye and wish you well,” Laurel replied.

“Thanks. I wish you well also. How is Starling City’s DA doing these days?” Felicity asked as she gestured they sit on the couch.

“Hectic, but good. I’m enjoying it,” Laurel replied with a forced smile.

“Well I know you are going to be great Laurel. Everyone respects you and what you’ve gone through to get where you are and your father couldn’t be more proud,” Felicity beamed.

“That’s so sweet of you to say. Yeah, my dad is something else. I worry about him. I worry about all the people I care about Felicity,” Laurel stated. “Which brings me to the other reason I came by.”

“Oh? What’s that?” Felicity asked curiously.

“Felicity, I have a confession to make…I’m still in love with Oliver,” Laurel said.

Temporarily stunned, Felicity sat in silence and stared at Laurel. She knew that Laurel and Oliver would always have some feelings for each other, but she figured the “in love” part would have been gone already. Neither of them acted as if they were in love with each other. Is Oliver still in love with Laurel? Internally, Felicity shook her head no. She would have noticed, right? It made no difference really. This time tomorrow she’ll be on her way to Central City with the hope of a new start.

“Why are you telling me this Laurel?” Felicity asked, cocking her head.

“I’m telling you this because when you leave, I want to ask you to not have contact with Oliver,” she stated matter of factly.

“I’m sorry Laurel, but I’m very confused,” Felicity said. “Why would you ask this of me, especially knowing my role in the team?"

Laurel stares at Felicity for a few moments. Laurel asks herself, does she really have no clue? That’s not possible. “You really have no clue, do you?”

“A clue about what? Look, I’m leaving tomorrow and I have a lot to do. I want to run by Diggle and Lyla’s to say goodbye. So unless you have anything else to say…” Felicity says as she rises from the couch and makes her way to the door.

Laurel follows and says, “I do wish you well Felicity.”

“Thanks. You too,” Felicity says as she opens the door. “Take care.”

After closing the door, Felicity stands there pondering what the hell just happened. That was so strange. Did it bother her that Laurel confessed she still loved Oliver? Yes, it did, but it wasn’t her business. What was so strange was why Laurel asked her to not have any contact with Oliver. She hadn’t planned on it anyway, but to have someone ask her not to really bothered her. Shrugging her shoulders, she grabs her purse from the side table and heads out the door.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity is sitting at John and Lyla’s kitchen table chatting over a cup a tea. “Lyla, you look amazing! It’s true what they say about the pregnancy glow, because you definitely have it.” Lyla smiles. Over the course of the last few weeks, Felicity and Lyla have bonded. While Lyla had the extra edge with her military knowledge, she also had a passion for science and technology like Felicity. They formed an instant connection, and since Lyla makes John happy, Felicity liked her even more.

“Aww thanks Fel. Now if I could just get passed the morning sickness, it’ll all be good,” she says with a laugh. John is sitting next to Lyla holding her hand and beaming from ear to ear. Felicity has never seen John so happy.

“So you guys, I had a visitor earlier and it was very weird to say the least,” Felicity says.

John immediately straightens in his chair and goes into his super protect mode. Lyla’s smile fades and they both have those stern military looks on their faces. Putting up her hands in surrender, she says “Whoa, calm down. Laurel came by to see me.”

“Why?” John and Lyla ask in unison. Apparently hearing this shocked them just as much. While Felicity and Laurel got along, it was safe to say they were not the best of friends.

“That’s what is so weird. She came to say goodbye and ask me to not have any contact with Oliver while I’m away,” Felicity says.

John and Lyla give each other brief, knowing glance that escapes Felicity. At first John says nothing and Lyla lowers her eyes to her teacup. Finally, John asks, “what else did she say?”

“She confessed to me that she was still in love with Oliver, which ok, so I was a bit surprised after all that has happened, but who am I to judge. After all, they have a history together. They dated like forever. Ok, so he cheated on her with Sara, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she fell out of love with him. Sure she was sleeping with his best friend, but they weren’t dating at the time and he was presumed dead, and Tommy died trying to save her and she became all alcoholy and stuff…” she stammers out of her babble and looks up at John and Lyla. They’re both smiling at her fondly knowing how much they’ll miss her babbling.

“Well that’s all very interesting,” John says with a grin. “I wonder why she felt the need to tell you.”

“Can you say jealous much?” Lyla added under her breath. “Fel, I think Laurel feels threatened by you. You have a connection with Oliver that she’ll never have.” John nodded in agreement.

Yeah, right. Whatever happened, Felicity didn’t want to talk about it anymore. She wanted to spend time with her dear friends before leaving town. So she turned the conversation around to the baby. She inundated Lyla with questions about the baby and if they had any names picked out. Lyla showed her where the baby’s room was going to be, and Felicity couldn’t help but be happy for her friends. She promised Lyla she’d be back for the baby shower and if she needed her for anything, she was just a phone call away.

“Well, I have to go you guys. I have a few last minute things to do and tomorrow will be a long day,” she added.

Felicity started to tear up as John grabbed her hand and Lyla reached for her other. Felicity looked up into their concerned eyes and turned to go. “Thank you both for everything.” Felicity hugged them both, not wanting to ever let go.

“You know, I could always put in a good word for you at Argus. Amanda owes me after what she did. Besides, you would be a force to be reckoned with on the suicide squad, and more importantly, you would be closer,” Lyla said looking at John.

“Thanks, but I can’t break my promise to Barry,” Felicity said. “I love you guys and I will be in touch.” Felicity opened the door and walked out without a second glance and never feeling more alone.

While heading home, her cell phone rings and she smiles at the picture on the screen. Roy has become like a little brother to her. He's sweet and tough, indifferent yet caring. Turning on her Bluetooth, she said “hey little bit!”

“I really hate when you call me that,” he sighs, but she can tell he’s smiling.

“No you don’t,” she smiled.

“Where are you?” He asked.

“I’m on my way home. Why?” She asks with concern.

“I don’t want you to get all mushy on me when you leave. So I’m not gonna come see you before you go, and all I’m going to say is I’ll see you later,” he stated. “Is that ok with you?”

Felicity smiled tenderly. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You know you’re gonna miss me.”

Roy laughs. “Of course I will. “ He sighs, “hey?”

“What?” She asks.

“Don’t stay gone too long, ok?” He responds.

“I’ll try not to. Be good ok. Oliver and Digg need you,” she said.

“I can’t promise to be good, but I will definitely look out for the team,” he says fondly.

She has little doubt he will. “See you later alligator,” Felicity says.

“Bye nerd,” Roy says before he hangs up.

When Felicity arrives home, it’s almost dark. She lets herself into her apartment and plops down on the sofa in the dark. Sighing, she lays her head back and stares up at the ceiling. Suddenly, she senses she’s not alone and looks over in the corner. A hooded figure is sitting in her chair by the window. The curtain is billowing in the slight spring breeze from the open window, which happens to lead out onto the fire escape. A small fraction of light is coming in from the street light and illuminating the room in a warm, yellow glow.

“How many times have I told you to lock your windows?” Oliver scolds.

“Oliver, what are you doing here?” She asks.

“I was patrolling and wanted to check in on you,” he says.

“You could have knocked on the front door,” she says.

He removes his hood from his head, tilts his head and gives her the really? look. “Oh right, the outfit.”

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” He asks.

“Yeah, pretty much. Just some last minute things to throw in my bags,” she responds.

“Where were you all this time?” He questions.

How long had he been waiting? Looking at her watch, she says “Um, I don’t know. A couple of hours I guess. I wanted to say goodbye to John and Lyla.”

“Hmm,” his only response.

“Look Oliver, if you came here to scold me for leaving the window open, consider it done. After tomorrow I won’t be your responsibility anymore,” she says.

“You’re not just a responsibility to me and you know it,” he says through clenched teeth. “You’re my partner and my friend, and I’ll always worry about you.”

“I don’t see you sneaking into John’s or Roy’s place like this,” she scolds. 

“John can take care of himself, and let’s face it, no one would go into Roy’s place. I don’t think that kid even knows what clean is,” he says with a laugh.

He’s right about that. Roy’s place is pretty nasty, but he’s a young guy. So it’s to be expected. “So true,” she agrees.

For a few minutes, they just sit and stare at one another in the dark; the silence weighing heavily in the air. Oliver has laid his bow and quiver on the floor next to his feet and seems to be at home in her comfy chair. Even though it is dark, the little bit of light coming in through the window allows Felicity to see he’s not wearing his mask. He stands and walks over to her and holds out his hand expectantly.

Felicity puts her hand in his and rises from the sofa. They’re standing barely a foot apart and suddenly Felicity doesn’t feel close enough. She puts her arms around his waist and lays her cheek on his chest. Oliver puts his arms around her and lays his cheek on the top of her head. Without heels, she’s a good six inches shorter than him.

“This is a lot harder than I thought it would be,” she admits.

“Yeah, I know. Felicity, I…” Oliver starts.

“Don’t. Don’t say anything Oliver. No matter what you say, I’ve already made up my mind.” With a quiver in her voice, she whispers, “let me go.”

Oliver sighs and holds her tighter. He doesn't want to let her go, but he has to respect her wishes or else what kind of man would he really be. Staring down at her, he watches the tears rolling down her cheeks and reaches his hands up to wipe them away. Moving his hand around to her neck, he slowly pulls her mouth to his and ever so lightly brushes his lips across hers. He pulls back and rests his forehead against hers using ever ounce of strength he has not to pull her into his arms, drag her down onto his lap on the sofa and never let her go.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he finally says.

“Ok. Good night,” she says shakily.

He pulls out of her arms and walks back to the window. Turning back, he says, “please lock this window.” With that final statement, he ducks out and is gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this chapter, I kept making a lot of revisions. First I wanted Felicity to keep denying what's right in front of her face. Then I wanted her to ignore it. Finally I decided to just make this about her saying goodbye to those she cares for. I'm not quite ready to have her and Oliver face their feelings together.


	6. Is there such a thing as a normal day?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver's trip to Central City is interrupted by unexpected visitors.

We need to find her quickly. Slade’s ready to make his move.

Felicity is hiding under the stairs. She knows it’s just a matter of time before they find her. She’s supposed to let them find her but she’s so frightened that she’s shaking and unable to move from her hiding spot. Clutching the syringe in her hand, she puts it in her jacket pocket and presses her back up against the wall tighter. She closes her eyes, and suddenly she is yanked from the wall and dragged through the front door.

Felicity jolts up in bed. Her heart is pounding and she’s soaking wet from sweat. Putting her head in her hands, she takes deep breaths to slow her heart rate. God, she is so tired of the nightmares. Will they ever stop? She looks at the clock next to her bed. It’s 3:34am.

She gets up and goes into her bathroom for a sip of water. Flicking on the light, she blinks several times to focus and stares at herself in the mirror. She sees the bags under eyes and the worry across her forehead. She’s tired and sad, and if she continued to be honest with herself, heartbroken. She sips the water, turns out the light and gets back into bed. Lying down, she closes her eyes, but she knows sleep will evade her again tonight.

Outside, on the fire escape outside her window, she doesn’t see the shadowy figure sitting perched on the railing watching her through the small opening in the curtains. She also doesn’t know that same shadowy figure sits out there almost every night watching her toss and turn. If she did, she’d probably be mad. In fact, Oliver knows she’d be mad.

Making his way down the fire escape, he sighs. Tomorrow she will break his heart and there’s nothing he can do but watch her go.

Sun is filtering in through the window. Felicity rolls over and looks at the clock. It’s after noon. She remembers looking at the clock around 7:30am. Thankfully she was able to get some sleep. Suddenly her phone buzzes. She reaches for it and sees it’s Oliver.

“Hello?” She answers.

“Hi. I was wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat before you leave?” He asks.

“Yeah sure. What time?” She asks.

“How about 2:00 at Big Belly Burgers?” He asks with amusement.

“Hah, sure. I’m going to miss those cellulite makers. I’ll see you there,” she answers.

An hour and a half later, Felicity is dressed and putting the finishing touches on her make up. She decides to keep it simple since she’ll be getting on a train soon after her meal with Oliver. She’s wearing her favorite skinny jeans, cami and sweater, and just to be sure she’s extra comfortable, she puts on her beloved panda flats. Yesterday, she decided to ship her suite cases overnight to Caitlin’s rather than dragging them around on the train. This way, she’d only have to bring her purse and computer bag. Yep, simple and efficient; that’s Felicity.

She heads out the door around a quarter to two. Since it’s the middle of the day, traffic isn’t too bad and she arrives at Big Belly Burgers in ten minutes. Parking on the side street, she makes her way to the front door. Carly greets her inside.

“Hey Felicity!” She says.

“Hi Carly. I’m supposed to meet Oliver here,” Felicity says looking around. She notices him at their favorite table. He’s sitting with Roy.

Roy stands as she approaches the table. She makes her way over to him and stops to stand in front of him. Smiling, she throws her arms around his shoulders. “I’m glad you’re here. I really didn’t like not seeing you before I go,” she says.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s not make this a huge thing,” he says with a slight quiver in his voice. He hugs her tightly in return. “I’m still not saying goodbye.”

“Fair enough,” Felicity says. 

Felicity laughs and turns to sit down at a table. Carly comes over with a plate full of food. Felicity’s favorite; the deluxe with cheese fries. Yummy! The next two hours pass in blur. Felicity updates Roy on what to do with the computers and before she knows it, it’s time for her and Oliver to head to the train station.

“Ready to go?” He asks. She nods and he gets up to grab his overnight duffle.

Felicity stands to hug Roy. “I’ll see you later,” she says. He grins at her.

They make their way to her car, and Oliver grabs the keys and says, “I’m driving.”

Felicity rolls her eyes and makes her way to the passenger door. Oliver grabs the door handle and holds it open for her. Felicity gets in and fastens her seatbelt. Oliver gets in, throws his bag in the back, makes the adjustments to the seat for his size and soon they are on their way.

“I’ll make sure your car gets back to your apartment,” he says.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Everywhere I need to go in Central City is within a ten-block radius. So I really don’t need a car there yet,” she admits. Oliver’s heart squeezes at the word “yet.”

They drive the rest of the way in silence. At the station, Oliver parks the car, pops the trunk and as he gets out, grabs his bag from the back seat. Felicity meets him at the back of the car. He looks down and then looks at her. “This is it? This is all you have after all the packing you’ve been doing the last few days?”

“I overnighted all that stuff yesterday. I didn’t want to be burdened with a bunch of bags. So it’s just me, my purse and my computer bag,” she says as she gestures to the black bag lying in the trunk.

“Ok then,” he says. “Let’s go.” He grabs her bag and they head inside.

It’s couple of hours into the train ride, and they are barely speaking to one another. They’re sitting opposite each other and Felicity is staring out the window while Oliver stares at her. Occasionally he looks out the window or the newspaper sitting in his lap, but mostly he stares at her. He notices the bags under eyes again, even though she’s tried to cover them up with make up. She’s resting her chin on her fist and she clearly doesn’t notice he’s staring, or if she notices, doesn’t want to engage him in conversation.

Felicity really wished that Oliver would stop looking at her. It’s making it very difficult for her to ignore him. She really doesn’t know why he insisted on coming with her, and now she has to put up with him for another twenty-four hours. Why is fate so cruel? She closes her eyes and sighs.

“You ok?” Oliver asks. “You’re still not sleeping, are you?”

Felicity looks over at him. “What makes you ask that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It could be the bags under the eyes, your inability to make conversation for the first time since I met you or the fact that you haven’t spoken a word to me in oh,” he looks at his watch, “twenty minutes.”

Suddenly Felicity is inexplicable angry. “God, you are such an ass.”

Oliver is momentarily stunned and his head snaps back a fraction of any inch as if he’s been slapped across the face. “Felicity, I get you’re angry at me, but…”

She leans forward for good measure. “Really Oliver? You get I’m angry? Just how do you think I would be? You tricked me into believing you loved me and then used me as bait for Slade. Then I had to stand there with a sword to my throat while you hoped he would let his guard down long enough for me to put that syringe in him. So excuse me for looking tired and not wanting to talk to you, because as much as I love you, I just can’t stand the sight of you right now, and sitting here on this train with you is the last thing I want to be doing!” She leans back with a huff and turns to look out the window again.

“You love me?” He asks in shock. Deep down, he’s always know, but to hear it out loud was quite possibly the best thing he’s ever heard.

Felicity looks back at him and sighs, “of course that would be the only thing in that whole tirade that you would hear. It amazes me how clueless you are at times.” 

This changes things. He needs to think a minute. “I’m going to grab something to drink. Can I get you anything?” He asks as he stands.

“No thank you,” she responds quickly.

Oliver walks away. He needs to put an end to this tension between then. He needs to confess to her, but will she believe him after he’s already deceived her about his feelings? Making his way to the hospitality car, he notices a couple of guys dressed in black sitting at the back of the car. Oliver suddenly notices that there are very few people on the train, which seems strange since it was the middle of the week.

He reaches the vending area and sees one of the men watching him out of the corner of his eye. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A surprise attack is not exactly what he needs right now. What’s worse is that he didn’t bring any of his gear with him because he was expecting this trip to be simple and easy. Experience should have taught him that nothing is simple and easy.

Making his way back to his seat, he feels both sets of eyes burrowing into his back. Taking his seat, he leans forward to speak to Felicity.

“We’ve got trouble,” he whispers.

Pulling her out of her reverie, she looks at him. “What? What do you mean?” She questions.

“There are two men at the back and I’m pretty sure they’re watching us, or me actually,” he responds.

“Of course there are. Are you freaking kidding me? Can’t we just have one normal day?” She whispers with anger. Looking past his shoulder, Felicity notices one of the men speaking into his sleeve. “What do we do? I know you don’t have your bow because it wouldn’t fit in that bag,” she says pointing to his duffle at his feet.

“I’m aware of that Felicity,” he says with frustration.

The men get up and start making their way towards Oliver and Felicity. “They’re heading this way,” she whispers.

The men stop in front of their seats and stare at them with hard eyes. Oliver stands, grins and suddenly all hell breaks loose. Punches are being thrown and before Felicity knows it, one of the men is holding Oliver and the other is taking punches at him. Panicked, Felicity quickly stands and reaches for the emergency pull cord. The train abruptly comes to a halt and everyone is thrown forward. Felicity grabs their bags and heads for the door.

Oliver gains the edge back and grabs the guys behind him. Putting him in a headlock, he snaps his neck. The second guy gets to his feet and Oliver turns on him. A few more punches are thrown and Oliver throws the heel of his hand up at the guy’s nose; shattering the bones up and into his brain. The guy falls at his feet.

Oliver turns in search of Felicity. She’s standing in the doorway with their bags. “Oliver, look!” She shouts.

He turns back around to look at the far end of the car and through the window. He notices a half a dozen men in masks making their way towards them from the other car. “We need to go…now!”

Rushing behind her, they make their way from the car to the outer door. With a shove, Oliver has the door open and hops down off the car. Felicity hands the bags to him and he helps her down. He has little time to enjoy the feel of her in his arms before they hear shouting from inside the car. “Run!”

They make their way into the woods adjacent to the tracks. The woods are dense but thankfully a full moon is rising from the east, which gives them just enough light to see where they’re going. Oliver darts out in front of her and pulls her to the right into a cluster of fallen trees. He pulls her against him and waits.

“Fan out! Find them now!” They hear.

“Who the hell are these guys?” Felicity asks in a whisper.

“Shh,” Oliver replies. He hears them moving towards the opposite direction. After a few minutes, the voices fade and Oliver moves to look down at Felicity. Surprisingly she seems calm.

“I’m guessing we’re about fifty, fifty five miles from Starling City. We weren’t on the train very long before we were ambushed,” he says.

“But we’re in the middle of nowhere,” she says.

“I know. Luckily however, they went in the opposite direction that we need to go in,” he noticed. “Come on.”

They start walking through the trees as Oliver pulls his cell phone out. He attempts to call Diggle, but has no service. “Damn it!”

“I checked my phone too. I guess we’re in a dead zone. You would think there wouldn’t be any of those anymore with today’s technology,” she says.

“Let’s keep walking. Eventually we’ll get a signal,” he says.

The move in silence as they make their way through the woods. As the moon rises, the air gets cooler and Felicity shivers. After a couple of hours, Felicity asks “can we stop for a few minutes?”

Oliver stops and turns around. “Yeah ok, but just for a few minutes.”

Felicity makes her way to a downed tree and sits. Looking up at Oliver, she says “thank you.”

“For what?” He asks.

“For saving me…again,” she replies.

Sighing, Oliver sits down next to her. “Felicity, you should know by now that saving you is something that I will always do,” he admits and turns to her, “no matter what. I love you.”

For the first time in her life, Felicity can’t speak. She looks into his eyes and knows he’s telling her the truth this time.


	7. Confessions on the run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So in this chapter, Oliver and Felicity are stranded. What else is there to do besides run and talk?

It felt like the most natural thing in the world to say. The words just rolled off his tongue, and he didn’t regret saying them for a second. Looking into Felicity’s eyes, he sees more than his friend and partner. He sees his future. For the first time since his return from the island, he has a small hope that he may be able to have a normal life outside of being the Arrow. 

All the walls he had built up over the last two years slowly began to crumble as a single tear rolls down Felicity’s cheek. The last time he’d seen her get this emotional was when they thought Walter had been killed. He feels the same tug on his heart as he did then; except now instead of fighting it, he welcomes it.

Moving closer to her, he puts is arm around her and draws her close. “Oh God Felicity. I’m so very sorry. I’m sorry for putting you in danger time and time again, but mostly I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. It’s just that it I thought I was protecting you.”

“Protecting me from what exactly?” She asks with a sniffle and leans up to look at him. 

Looking down at her, he whispers “from me.”

“You’re not as scary as you think you are,” she whispers back. 

The rising moonlight casts a shimmer on the tears that are still on her cheeks. He reaches his hands up to fan and wipe the tears away. Her normally sleek ponytail is hanging low on her neck and a few strands of her hair have come loose around her face. Oliver drops his eyes to her lips. Her pink lipstick has long worn off and her lips are slightly parted. In that moment, all he wants to do is kiss her. His lips move closer to hers and just as they are about touch, he hears voices and stomping through the brush. Looking towards the sounds, he sees flashlights in the distance.

“Damn! We need to move,” he whispers. He looks at her and says, “to be continued.”

Grabbing Felicity and their bags, he starts moving in the opposite direction with her in tow as quickly and quietly as possible. 

“Hey, I think I see them! Move, move, move!” Someone shouts.

“Felicity, we need to move, fast!” Oliver shouts. He pulls her along and they run as fast as they can. Felicity stumbles a few times and Oliver is right there to pick her up.

Felicity glances behinds them and see the flashlights getting closer. She and Oliver’s only advantage is the darkness. They need to disappear fast. 

Suddenly the woods open up to a twenty foot drop. Below is a fast moving river. They’re cornered as the flashlights move in.

Oliver turns back to her. “Tell me that computer case of your is water proof.”

“What? You think this is my first rodeo?” She asks with sarcasm.

Oliver smiles and pulls her to jump with him. They land in the frigid water and are quickly pulled under. Felicity comes up for air and is momentarily disoriented. “Oliver!” She shouts. “Oliver!”

Oliver comes up behind her sputtering. He grabs her to him and they move downriver with the flow. The water is frigid; probably around sixty degrees. They need to get out of the water before hypothermia sets in. When Oliver thinks it’s clear to get out of the water, he starts making his way to the opposite bank; pulling Felicity with him.

Felicity has never been so cold in her life. Her teeth are chattering so loudly, she’s sure it could be heard over the rush of the water. “What are we going to do now?” She asks Oliver.

“We need to keep moving. I know you’re tired and cold, but the more we move, the faster we can get to help. We floated downriver at least a few miles. So we have the advantage back, but who knows how long that will last. “

“Ok, not to put a damper on your voice of reason, but it will take us forever to get out of here and there are way more of them than there are of us,” she says.

“Hey, have a little faith. Remember, this is the stuff I’m good at,” he says humorously.

Felicity shakes her head and follows him into the woods again. “Don’t mind me. That teeth chattering is just me freezing to death.”

“You’ll be fine,” he says with laugh.

“Yeah, easy for your to say. You’re 185 pounds of pure muscle. You exude body heat just by standing. Not…not that I’ve noticed or anything,” she says.

Felicity can’t see his face, but Oliver smiles. “You’ve been building muscle yourself lately. I feel pretty confident I feel some body heat coming off of you too.”

Felicity blushes. Damn him. Now he gets flirty? Well at least she can feel her body temperature rising. That was at least something. There has to be an easier way out of this. “Hold on,” she says.

Stopping, Felicity pulls her cell phone out of her bag. “I have one bar!” She exclaims.

Pulling John Diggle from her contacts, she dials him, praying he answers. After two rings, he picks up. Thanks God! “John?”

“Fel…tha…you in…Central…” Felicity can barely hear him.

“John, if you can hear me, Oliver and I were ambushed. We’re in the woods outside of Starling,” she says. 

“I can hardly…you…what…say?” He asks.

“I said we were ambushed. Can you hear me?” Felicity pulls her phone from her ear and looks down at it. The call fails. “Damn it!”

“It’s ok Felicity. Let’s keep moving. If I know Diggle, he’s probably already got Lyla pulling Argus’ satellite feeds looking for us,” Oliver says.

“Do you think so?” She asks with concern.

“Yes, I’m sure,” he replies. “Come on.”

As Oliver turns to continue walking, Felicity grabs his hand and pulls him back. Putting her arms around his neck, she quickly pulls his mouth down to hers. The kiss is electric and an instant warmth spreads out inside her body. Oliver growls deep in his throat and puts his arms around her waist to pull her close. 

Felicity just meant the kiss to be quick; a confirmation that what they shared earlier was important to her. She never imagined Oliver would respond so quickly and with such passion. Suddenly, her back is up against the nearest tree and he deepens the kiss. His tongue strokes hers in a dance that makes her knees weak. Had she not had the tree at her back, she probably would have fallen.

Oliver moves his hands up from her waist to under her cami. Felicity revels in the feel of his strong, rough skin against the soft skin just under rib cage. She’s no longer cold. In fact her skin feels like it’s on fire. She moans as his hands move higher until his thumbs just barely brush the underside of her breasts. Her nipples harden instantly.

The reality of the situation slowly sinks in and Felicity pulls her head back. Their lips had been so tightly locked together that when she pulled away, they made a loud smacking noise at the release of the suction. “We have to keep moving Oliver.”

“I know,” he says. He pulls his head back, but his hands are still on her rib cage. He stares at her trying to catch his breath.

Back in Starling City, Diggle is frantically pacing the floor while Lyla is arguing on the phone with Amanda. “Remind her that show owes us!” He shouts. Lyla holds up her hand to quiet him.

“Amanda, listen. Oliver has done a lot for Starling City; not to mention what he’s done for Argus.” She pauses to listen to the voice on the other line. “Don’t even go there with me Amanda! I don’t know the entire story, but I know you’ve known Oliver for a lot longer than either of you are letting on,” she declared.

Diggle whips his head back around and stares in shock at his wife. What the hell? If, no when, he finds Oliver, they are going to have a nice long chat about disclosure. With as much as they have been through as a team, the truth is the least he deserves. Lyla doesn’t miss her husband’s response to the conversation he is hearing.

“Yes. I will talk to her. I said yes! No. John goes with you. That is non-negotiable Amanda,” Lyla demanded. “Ok, call me once you have something.” Lyla quickly disconnects and turns to John. “You need to meet her team at the airport. She’s got the satellites searching now.”

“Do I even want to know what was going on with the conversation? How long has Amanda known Oliver? You know what, never mind because when I find him, I’m kicking his ass!” He said. Grabbing his jacket, gun and keys, he kisses Lyla and heads out the door as Lyla just laughs at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your encouragement. I've got a couple of directions that I am considering taking on the next chapter. I haven't decided which yet, but when I do, I will post it. I'll try not to keep you in suspense too long.


	8. Captured

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity are captured with a surprising turn of events.

Oliver doesn’t know which way is up right now. His head is still swimming from the amazing kiss he shared with Felicity. The passion they feel for one another sparked so quickly that it stunned him for a moment. He knew how he felt about her but to physically feel it too, it’s beyond what he could ever imagine. Her could feel her anxiousness as she walked behind him. As usual, she did her best to hide her fear from him; always the trooper. 

“Oliver?” She asked.

“Yes,” he responded.

“Can we have some truth time while we’re trekking through the woods?” She asks.

Suddenly Oliver’s defenses came up. There is no telling what she’s going to ask him. “Sure, why not?”

“When we returned from Russia, and I asked you why you slept with Isabel, do you remember what you said?” She asked.

Ok, she’s going straight for the jugular. “Yes,” he says with trepidation.

“When you said you thought it would be better to not be with someone you could really care about, did you have someone in mind at the time?” She asked.

Oliver stopped and turned around to look at her. Looking into her eyes, he asked “knowing what you know right now, do you think you really need to ask that?”

“I guess I’m just trying to understand what changed and how it changed,” she replied.

“I honestly don’t know how it changed, but I know that I’ve cared about you for a very long time. I think I started to realize it when Barry Allen was helping us, but things really became clear when Slade came to Starling City. I knew without a doubt that he would go to great lengths to hurt or kill everyone I cared about. I made a mental list of who those people could be. Now you would think that my family would be first on that list; especially since he made it clear he was going to them first, but do you know who came to my mind first? You Felicity,” he admitted with a lopsided grin.

Felicity was feeling so many things at once, but one of the first things she was feeling was frustration. She endured a lot by working with the man she loved and not be able to show him how she felt. It kind of made her mad. “Oliver, I’m sorry if I seem unconvinced, but I had to watch you be with one woman after another. First it was Laurel, then it was Helena, then Isabel, then Sara. Excuse me if I’m feeling cautious about your feelings,” she said, “and even more cautious with my heart. I needed to go to Central City to get over you,” she added.

Even though he suspected, she couldn’t have shocked him anymore if she had hit him in the guts! “Really?” He asked. “Is that truly why you were leaving?”

“Yes. Believe it or not, the fact that I got a call from Barry right about the time I knew I needed to leave just happened to be a coincidence,” she admitted. “I still believe I need to leave, even though it’s going to kill me inside.”

Oliver needed to fix this and quickly. Putting his hands on her shoulders, which always seemed to fit perfectly, he said, “Felicity, hear me now. I do not want you to leave. I want you to stay with me. I want you to be with me.”

Felicity considered his words carefully. She saw truth in his eyes. So maybe she doesn’t have to stay in Central City, but she did promise Barry she would help him. “Oliver, I still need to go to Central City,” she said. “It will be temporary, but I think it’s important to gain some distance for a while.”

A look of confusion shadowed his face. Before he could respond, a sudden shot rang out. Oliver took Felicity to the ground with him; covering her with his body. Suddenly there was shouting and a dozen men quickly surrounded them. Their pursuers had snuck up on him and they were outnumbered, and he never even saw it coming. Oliver stood and pulled Felicity behind him. He took a fighting stance; prepared to do whatever it took to protect her. All twelve men had their weapons trained on them. 

“There really is no point Mr. Queen. We know you are unarmed,” the man to his right stated.

“What do you guys want with us?” Oliver asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” their attacker replied. A quick whizzing sound and both Oliver and Felicity are knocked out; a small red needle sticking out of both their necks.

>>>\-------------->

“Where are we at with their location Amanda?” Diggle snapped into his phone.

“We think they’re someplace in the southwest part of the woods. We were able to get a location on Ms. Smoak’s phone, but lost the signal about twenty minutes ago,” Amanda replied.

“Well then we start in the southwest part of the woods,” Diggle said, then hung up. “Let’s move out!”

Diggle quickly got on the helicopter. Amanda allowed him a team of six men. It wasn’t much, but he’d take it. Just as the pilot started the engine, a cab pulled up and Lyla got out. Paying the driver, she quickly made her way to the helicopter.

Confused, Diggle got out of his seat and met her half way. “What the hell are you doing here?” He asked.

“Did you really think I was going to let you go without me?” She asked.

“No. No way in hell!” He said loudly as he grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her back.

“John, we’re wasting time. We need to go now,” she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp. “They’re my friends too and I’m not letting anything happen to our baby’s Godparents. I’m going with you.”

They had yet to ask Oliver and Felicity about being Godparents with all that had been going on. Shaking his head, he followed his wife to the helicopter. When Lyla got an idea in her head, it was impossible to change her mind. Soon they were in the air and on their way to the southwest woods.

>>>\-------------->

Felicity was having the most amazing dream. She was wrapped tight in Oliver’s arms and he was kissing her neck. He whispered in her ear over and over “I love you.” Mm, it felt so good.

“Felicity,” her name came out as a whisper. “Wake up baby?”

She sighed. Why should she? It felt too good. His mouth started to move down her neck to her shoulder. He placed gentle kisses across her clavicle and then down between the valley of her breasts. As his mouth started to move towards the center of her right breast, she heard the urgency in his voice.

“Felicity? Wake up!” He shouted. “Please wake up.” He begged.

Felicity slowly began to open her eyes. She wasn’t wearing her glasses and everything seemed fuzzy at first. She could make out a figure tied down in a chair about ten feet in front of her and knew immediately it was Oliver. Struggling to focus her eyes, she shook her head lightly but was greeted with a blinding pain behind her eyes. It felt like the worse hangover in the world.

Suddenly she remembered where they were. She and Oliver had been stranded in the woods and were running from a group of men, but they had caught up with them. She remembered a piercing into her neck.

“Felicity, can you hear me?” Oliver asked.

“Oliver? Where are we?” She responded. 

Oliver let out a huge sigh of relief. She was ok. Thank God! “I’m not sure. We’re in some kind of abandoned hunting cabin,” he replied.

Trying to move, Felicity realized that she was tied down. “Why am I tied to this chair?”

“I’m guessing they don’t want us to leave anytime soon,” he replied. “I’m tied down too. I need to figure out a way out of here for us. I’m not going to let them hurt you.”

“We’ve been in worse predicaments,” Felicity stated.

“Yeah, I guess we have but at least I had something to defend us with. For the first time, I have a lot more to lose than I did before,” he said, looking at her tenderly.

Felicity smiled at him. Her heart swelled. Even surrounded by danger, knowing he doesn’t have his bow and quiver, she still has faith in him and believes in him.

The door to the cabin opened and the same man who spoke to them in the woods walked in, but he’s not alone. A smaller, more slender figure walks in behind him. This person is wearing a mask, but Oliver can tell it’s a woman by the way she’s walking and by her slender but slightly curvy frame. 

The man and woman came in and stood next to Oliver and Felicity. The eyes behind the mask are familiar. He looks into their rich blue green depths and see his mother, and he is momentarily stunned. “Speedy?” He asks.

Felicity quickly turns her head towards him. “Thea?” She asks.

The woman removes her mask and the once happy and carefree face of Oliver’s baby sister was now riddled with mistrust, pain and hatred.

“I don’t go by that nickname anymore Ollie,” she says his name with distain.

“Thea, what the hell is going on?” Oliver shouts. “Why did you have these men follow us like this, and attack us no less? How the hell did you get here? Who are these men?”

“So many questions big brother. How does it feel to have so many questions without answers?” She asks.

“Is that what this is all about Thea? I lied to you to protect you! I’ve told you this over and over,” he said.

“You think you were protecting me?” She asked. “You think you were protecting me by not telling me Malcolm Merlyn is my father or by not telling me you knew Slade Wilson before he showed up at the manor? Mom is dead because of you, Oliver!”

There is never a day that goes by that Oliver doesn’t think about his mother and what she sacrificed for him and Thea. Suddenly, Oliver remembered the night at the docks when he and his team tried to catch Vespa. He thought he had seen Thea.

“You’re Vespa, aren’t you?” He asked.

Thea just smiled. Her silence spoke a thousand words. “Thea, I understand you are angry at me, but let Felicity go. She’s not part of this and has nothing to do with what’s going on between us.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s my bargaining chip,” Thea said. “I’ll use her to get what I need from you.”

“And what it is that you need from me, Thea?” He asked.

“Retribution,” she replied with a sneer. “Take her!”

Thea’s man untied Felicity and pulled her out of the chair. She struggled but to no avail. “Let go of me. I’m not leaving Oliver,” she shouted.

“Later big brother,” she said. Turning on her heel, she walked away with the man and Felicity behind her leaving him alone.

Struggling against his ropes, he tried to get free. Turning his head, he noticed some glass on the floor to his right. Tipping his chair over and made his way over to the glass on his side. He took a minute, but he finally found a piece of glass sharp enough to cut through the ropes. He could still hear voices outside. He hoped he wasn’t too late.

Quietly making his way to the door, he opened it a fraction of an inch. He could see six of Thea’s men standing about fifty feet away. The leader was still holding Felicity by the arm, and Felicity was still struggling. One thing about his girl, she never backed down from a fight. Her captor whispered something to her that made her go utterly pale and still. Oh yes, he would be taken down first.

Just as he was about to make his way out of the cabin, a helicopter appeared above and a firefight ensued. Felicity was right in the middle of it. Running towards the group, he made his way to Felicity. Thea had already made her way to a jeep and was leaving while her men fought. 

Oliver couldn’t get to Felicity fast enough. With every foot he gained, he was met with someone trying to shoot at him or someone trying to beat him down. Felicity sat crouched by the tire of a truck holding her hands over her ears. Just as it was clear enough for him to get to her, the leader grabbed his gun and fired. The bullet hit Felicity and she was knocked back.

“No!” Oliver shouted. Oliver ran as fast as he could towards Felicity. The leader turned the gun on him and just as he was about to fire, a bullet hit the man from above. Looking up, Oliver saw Diggle holding a high-powered rifle. His look of utter horror at what he witnessed mirrored inside of Oliver.

Oliver got to Felicity before her head hit the ground. She was shaking and her breaths were shallow. Looking at her wound, he noticed she was shot in the same spot he was when he hid in her car the night she found out he was the vigilante.

“Felicity, stay with me!” Oliver shouted. “Don’t close your eyes!”

“Oliver! We need to get her up on the helicopter, now!” Diggle said. He hadn’t even realized the helicopter had landed.

Taking great care to lift her, Oliver sprinted to the waiting helicopter. Lyla helped him lay Felicity onto a blanket. There was so much blood. Lyla grabbed the first aid kit and pulled out a roll of gauze. “We need to try to slow the bleeding,” she shouted over the noise. “Get us in the air! We need to get to the Argus medical facility as fast as we can.”

Feeling helpless, all Oliver could do was hold Felicity’s hand. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “please don’t leave me.”

Felicity turned her head towards Oliver’s voice and smiled. Her shoulder burned and she could feel herself growing weaker by the second. She couldn’t even hold her head up. All she could manage was “I love you Oliver” before the darkness slipped in and took her down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really enjoying writing this. Thank you all once again for the encouragement.


	9. Fear, loathing and tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse for the team.

If someone would have asked Oliver what he was afraid of a year ago, he would have answered not a damn thing. He returned to Starling City with only one goal, and that was to save his city.  His father had given him purpose by leaving him that little leather bound book. He lived day-to-day believing he was invincible.  Whenever he thought there was a chance he wouldn’t make it out of a situation alive, he truly believed he would accept it. After all, he was supposed to have died when the _Queen’s Gambit_ went down in the China Sea.  He knew that as clearly as he knew his own name, but then he met John Diggle. 

John Diggle bided his time with Oliver. He saw a hero in him and when he discovered Oliver was the vigilante, he struggled with that realization, but they started to work as a team, and Oliver began to believe he could be more, do more. John Diggle pushed him to see that until he met Felicity Smoak. 

Felicity was the breath of fresh air in the team. She saved Oliver’s life by bringing him to John after he was shot.  She looked out for him when he couldn’t, and made his missions so much more efficient with her brilliant technical skills.  She was also his conscience.  She pushed him to be even better.  She showed him another way by not killing and to work with the police instead of against them. She was his true north and she stood by him and believed in him.  If he were to lose her, he doesn’t know what he would do.

John sat across from Oliver in the waiting room of the Argus’ medical facility and just stared at him.  Lyla was pacing and sighing every few minutes. All of their nerves were shot and the thickness of their edginess hung in the room like fog. John watched Oliver put his head in his hands and close his eyes.  John was so angry with Oliver, but he knew Oliver was never more afraid than he was at that moment.  Felicity has been back with the doctors for almost an hour.  Was that a good sign or bad sign?  He didn’t know.  One thing was for sure. If they lost Felicity, there would be hell to pay.

In the distance a door opened and closed, and all three of their heads snapped up as Amanda Waller walked into the room. “We need talk about what happened tonight Mr. Queen,” she said.

“Not now Amanda,” Oliver snapped. Just then, the doctor walked in and Oliver stood to face her.  The front of the doctor’s scrubs were splattered with blood and sweat covered his brow. “Doctor James, how is she?” Oliver asked.

The doctor didn’t answer at first and quickly dropped her eyes to her shoes before bringing them back up to meet Oliver’s. Oliver’s heart was pounding. Diggle and Lyla stood just behind him and waited with bated breath.

“We tried everything we could, but the bullet did too much damage to her artery.  We couldn’t stop the bleeding.  She flat lined about twenty minutes ago,” Doctor James said.  “We couldn’t get her back.  I’m so terribly sorry.”

Lyla started to cry and John put is arms around her. Oliver couldn’t accept what the doctor just said.  If he accepted it, then it was real.  If it was real, then she was gone.  If she was gone, then he would be destroyed.

“No,” Oliver whispered.  “She’s strong and healthy.  Hell, I had that same injury just over a year ago.  John?”  Oliver turned around in frantic search of Diggle as if he didn’t know he had been there the whole time.  “John, tell her. Tell her how to fix it!” He shouted.

Diggle just shook his head as a single tear fell down his cheek.  There were no words. There was nothing he could say to Oliver that would make this moment right.  Lyla stood in shock with her hand over her mouth as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks.

Diggle went to hug Oliver, but Oliver would have none of it.  Turning back to the doctor Oliver said, “I want to see her.”

“Mr. Queen, I don’t think that’s such a good….” the doctor stammered.

Taking an aggressive step towards the doctor, Oliver said sternly “now!”

Doctor James quickly looked at Amanda who nodded in agreement.  “Follow me,” she said.

Oliver walked behind Doctor James with tunnel vision. Several people stopped to stare at him, but he didn’t notice.  He kept replaying memories of Felicity in his head; the first time they met, that afternoon she met him at Big Belly Burgers to tell him about the book, all the times she sat at the computers tap, tap, tapping away at the keyboards, the look on her face when the Count held twin needles full of Vertigo against her flawless skin or when she would tease him about him just about anything she could. The images flooded his mind as the tears flooded his eyes.

Doctor James stopped in front of the double doors and held one open for him.  The surgical room was a mess.  Bloodied gauze and empty blood bags lay everywhere but Oliver didn’t notice a single thing. His eyes were trained on the beautiful blonde who lay motionless on the table.  He slowly walked towards the table.  A light blue sheet covered her body and her head was tilted slightly towards him.

“I’ll give you a moment,” Doctor James said and closed the door behind her.

Reaching the side of the table, Oliver stared down at her.  She was still so beautiful. Her cheeks were pink and her lips full. If he didn’t know any better, he would of thought she was asleep.  How many times had he watched her sleep when he didn’t know it? Every time she was in danger, he would sit outside her bedroom window, peer through the curtains and make sure she was safe.  How many times had he dreamed of waking up next to her as if they were a normal, everyday couple? They weren’t even a couple before this all happened.  He had planned on rectifying that as soon as they were out of danger.  Now, he’ll never have the chance.

Putting his hand on her forehead, Oliver leaned down and kissed her lips.  “I love you Felicity. Always,” he said.

Out in the waiting room, John sank down into the chair with Lyla in his arms.  He was heartbroken and angry at the same time.  He was mad at Oliver.  He was mad at Felicity. Mostly he was mad at himself for not stepping in and taking matters into his own hands where Oliver and Felicity was concerned.  He always hoped they would just work it out on their own.  Clearly they couldn’t get out of their own way to save their lives, literally. John feared this would send Oliver into deep depression.  He’ll go back to Lian Yu or some other God forsaken place and no one will ever see him again.

A few moments later, Oliver stormed back into the waiting area.  “Diggle, we need to go, now,” he barked.

“Where are we going Oliver?”  John asked.

“I’ll tell you on the way,” he said turning around and heading for the door.

John looked down at Lyla.  “Go with him.  He shouldn’t be alone right now,” she said.  Kissing her on the cheek, John rushed after Oliver.

>>>\-------------->

_I love you Felicity. Always._

Felicity slipped in and out of consciousness. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed but those words kept echoing in her mind.  It was Oliver’s voice.  It washed over her mind and wrapped around her heart like a warm blanket. She wanted to see his face. She needed to see it. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Staring up at a stark white ceiling, she knew she wasn’t in her room in her townhouse.  She heard a light beeping noise and turned her head to the right. A small screen showed her the steady rhythm of her heartbeats.  The room smelled of antiseptic and clean linens.  Turning her head to left, she suddenly felt an excruciating pain in her shoulder. Seeing stars, she took a few deep breaths to breath through the pain.

“How are you feeling Ms. Smoak?” A familiar voice asked.

Felicity looked up at the foot of the bed and into the face of Amanda Waller.  Amanda definitely wasn’t one of Felicity’s favorite people and she was the last person Felicity wanted to see.  Where was Oliver? She couldn’t remember what happened and as she tried to sit up, her head became fuzzy and she was dizzy.

“Try not to move too much.  You’re still recovering,” Amanda said.

“Where am I?”  Felicity asked.

“You’re at the Argus Medical Facility. You’ve been here about a week,” Amanda responded.

“A week?  What the hell happened?”  Felicity demanded.

“You don’t remember anything?” Amanda asked.

Felicity searched her mind.  She remembered getting on a train for Central City with Oliver and being ambushed.  She remembered running for their lives in the woods and declaring their love for one another. Then she remembered Thea. Oh my God!  Thea had been behind it all.  How is that possible?  The realization dawned across her face.

“I remember,” she said.  “Where’s Oliver?”

Amanda hesitated and set her face in hard line. “We’ll discuss that shortly. I’ll have the doctor come in and check on you. 

“Ms. Waller, please tell me.  Is Oliver ok?”  Felicity asked with concern.

“He’s ok and back in Starling City,” Amanda answered. “We’ll discuss the rest soon.”

A few moments later, a young female doctor in green scrubs walked in.  She was around Felicity’s age and had a guarded smile on her face when she looked at Amanda.

“Hello Felicity.  Is it ok if I call you Felicity?”  She asked.

“Yes, of course.  Please.  I hate when people call me Ms. Smoak,” Felicity said looking over at Amanda.

Lightly laughing, “I’m Doctor James. I attended to your injury when you came in.”  Leaning over Felicity shoulder, the doctor slowly pulled the hospital gown down and removed her bandages to check her wound.  After a week, it was still red, but healing nicely.  Doctor James smiled down at Felicity.  “Looking better everyday.  Do you need something for the pain?”

“I’d rather not if that’s ok. I need to understand what happened and I don’t want drugs clouding my mind,” Felicity said.

“Ok, but if at anytime it gets unbearable, I want you to let me know.  Ok?” She asked.

“Thank you.  I will,” Felicity responded.

Looking back at Amanda, Doctor James said firmly “keep it short.  I want her to rest.”

Nodding at the doctor, Amanda pulled up a chair beside Felicity on the right knowing she was having discomfort on the left. Amanda may be a cold woman, but she knew what she was about to tell Felicity would change her life forever. She didn’t want to make it any more difficult than she had to.

“Felicity, I want to make you a job offer,” Amanda began.

“What kind of job?  And you may call me Ms. Smoak,”  Felicity said.

“I need your advanced expertise with the Suicide Squad, particularly with Floyd Lawton,” Amanda said.

Felicity frowned.  She didn’t want to work for this woman; no matter how advanced her computer systems were, and she certainly didn’t want to work with the man who killed John’s brother.  Is this woman crazy? Oh wait, yes she is. She was willing to destroy an entire city and kill thousands of people just to get Slade and his men.

“No offense Ms. Waller, but I have a job. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to see my friends,” Felicity said.

Amanda sat back in her chair and considered Felicity for a moment.  She was going to have to appeal to Felicity’s sense of honor to get what she wanted, but first she had to be honest and break the news to her about what transpired.

“Ms. Smoak, your friends and mother think you are dead,” Amanda stated matter of factly.

“Wait, what?  What do you mean?”  Felicity asked in confusion.

“Basically, we faked your death. They all believe you are dead,” Amanda said.

Felicity’s heart began to race. The beeping on the machine at her head starting beeping faster and it was then that Felicity shot up in the bed. “Are you crazy? How could you do that you psychotic bitch? You can’t just mess with people’s lives. Do you have any idea what you have done?” She shouted.

Amanda momentarily cringed at the “psychotic bitch” comment.  She knew she was good at her job, and she knew she had to sometimes be cold-hearted and calculated to do that job.  “Please listen to what I have to say,” Amanda continued.

“I don’t give a flying fig what you have to say. You are not God! What gives you the right to do this to me and to the people I love?”  Felicity said.

“The fate of the entire country depends upon this mission with Lawton Ms. Smoak.  I need the best possible people for it, and you and Lawton are it,” Amanda said.

“Deadshot is a murderer!  He killed my friend’s brother, and I know this means nothing to you Ms. Waller, but loyalty means a great deal to me,” Felicity said.

“Which is another reason I picked you for this mission Ms. Smoak.  If you would let me finish explaining, I’m sure that you will see that I had to do what I had to do,” Amanda said. 

For the next hour, Amanda explained to Felicity a plot to assassinate the head’s of government in every major country, including the United States.  “The people behind this are a small group of terrorists who have a secret weapon; a man who is just as good with high-powered rifle as Lawton is.  The difference is Lawton has the advantage with his “bionic” eye, but the eye was damaged during his last mission.  It needs micro technology to be fixed.  Unfortunately, Argus’ last micro technology expert was murdered in his home two weeks ago.  Somehow I don’t believe it was coincidence.  I believe your skills could seriously give us the advantage we need, and Lawton needs someone he can trust.”

Felicity considered Amanda’s offer for a moment. This was unlike anything Felicity had ever imagined.  It was a chance to do good on a global level and to work with the world’s best computer science that had ever been developed.

Amanda watched Felicity’s mind work. She had laid the groundwork. Now all she need do is wait for her answer.  If Felicity truly wanted to return to Starling City, Amanda couldn’t very well stop her. She wasn’t that cruel, but if she decided to work with Lawton, there could be outside interference until the job was done.

“I’ll leave you with your thoughts. If you want to return to your family and friends, I will understand, but if you decide to do this, your country will forever be grateful,” Amanda said proudly and turned to leave.

“Wait.  Why let everyone think I am dead though?”  Felicity asked.

“You of all people should understand the value of anonymity.  There is no room for distractions in this kind of operation Ms. Smoak. I needed them to believe it so that everyone would stay focused on their own tasks.  We both know that Mr. Diggle would never have allowed it, and well with your relationship with Oliver Queen, something tells me he would kill me before allowing you to do something this dangerous,” Amanda said.

“If I do this, if I finish the operation with Lawton, can I go back to my life in Starling City?”  Felicity asked tentatively.

“Yes Ms. Smoak, you may,” Amanda said. “However, I cannot guarantee how long this will take.  So think carefully before you decide.” 

Felicity stared at the door long after Amanda left. On the one hand, how could she not take the job?  However, on the other hand, how could she leave behind the people she loved even for a short time? Suddenly feeling exhausted, Felicity laid her head back on her pillow and took a deep breath.  She needed sleep.  Pressing the call button on her bed, she waited for the doctor to bring her the temporary relief she needed.


	10. Coming back from the dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity finishes her mission and returns home, but will her life return to normal?

Five months.  Five long months of working twenty-hour days.  Felicity never worked so hard in all her life. She refused to rest until the job was done and she could go home; go home to her life, go home to her friends and family and go home to Oliver.  He could have forgotten about her.  He could have moved on.  He could have found someone else, and every time she thought about that, she wanted to throw up.

“So how does it feel to finally be rid of me?” Lawton asked.

Felicity looked up from her monitors and smiled. Floyd Lawton had grown on her in the five months they’d been working together.  Not only were they able to defeat the terrorist group, but also Felicity was able to fix Lawton’s eyepiece and he helped her train. She had become quite the marksman thanks to him.  He was grateful for her help and she made him promise her not to use his skills for evil. He had laughed at her. Come to think of it, he never actually promised her he wouldn’t.

“You’re alright Lawton.  You done with your debriefing?”  She asked.

“Yep.  Waller’s just waiting on your pretty face,” he said with a smile.

One of the few things Felicity and Lawton could agree on was their mistrust and distaste for Amanda Waller.  Amanda manipulated Felicity into doing what she wanted. Unfortunately, Lawton had to stay behind and continue working for Waller; unless he wanted that little chip in his head to explode.

“Great,” she said as she rose from her chair. “This should be fun.”

As she turned to leave, Lawton said “Hey Smoak. Say hi to John for me, and if you ever get tired of being Queen’s girl…well you know where to find me.” Lawton cared about Felicity a lot more than he wanted to admit to himself.  She was smart and beautiful, and she always seemed to be able to see the good in everything, which was also a bit annoying.

Felicity frowned in confusion and shook her head. “One of these days, you should make peace with John.  He needs to know the real truth about what really happened with his brother.” Lawton nodded in agreement and walked away.

When Felicity arrived at Waller’s office, she was suddenly nervous.  What if Waller didn’t keep her promise?  What if she tried to force her to stay?  She needed to stand her ground.  She needed to go home. Knocking on the door, she waited.

“Come in,” came Waller’s voice from the other side.

Felicity walked in and stood before Waller’s desk. “Have a seat Ms. Smoak.” Felicity sat down and waited for the other shoe to drop.

“I can tell by the look on your face that you’re afraid I’m going to force you to stay with us, but the one thing you need to understand about me Ms. Smoak is that I always keep my word; no matter the circumstances.  However, before I let you go, I want to ask you one thing,” she stated 

“There is nothing that you could ask or offer me to make me want to stay,” Felicity affirmed.

Amanda stared at Felicity for a moment. She admired her convictions. She was smart and a lot stronger than she thought she was.  Amanda only hoped that strength persevered through what she was about to endure upon her return to Starling City.

“Returning from the dead is not so easy a task Ms. Smoak,” she said as she handed her an envelope. 

“What’s this?”  Felicity asked. 

“Inside this envelope is everything you need to return to your old life.  Your home is still there.  We had to purchase it in a fake name so as not to alarm Mr. Queen, and that was not easy. He stayed at your place for three months before Mr. Diggle finally convinced him that living like a hermit in his girlfriend’s townhome is not exactly the best kind of existence,” Amanda said.

Felicity was shocked to here about that. Noticing her look of confusion, Amanda decided to ease her internal war.  “Mr. Queen is still the Arrow and still working on cleaning up his beloved city.  He’s also not seeing anyone.”

Felicity head came up.  “How could you possibly know that?”

Amanda picked up her phone and said “send her in.”

The door opened behind Felicity and in walked Lyla. At almost nine months pregnant, her stomach entered before she did.  Felicity stood and ran to her.  Throwing her arms around her, she began to cry.  Lyla hugged her as tightly as she could with her protrusion.

“Felicity!  I am so happy to see you,” Lyla sobbed.

Felicity turned back to Waller. “Thank you,” she said.

“You’re welcome.  If you ever want to work for me again Ms. Smoak, I will always have a job waiting for you,” Amanda said 

Lyla grabbed Felicity’s hand and they made their way out. Felicity had never been more relieved in her life.

In the car on their way back to Starling City, Felicity had so many questions.  She didn’t want to overwhelm Lyla.  So she asked about the baby instead.  Lyla was all too happy to regale her with how she’d been feeling and how ready she was to have the baby.  She and John had also picked out names.  “If it’s a boy, John Oliver Michaels Diggle.  If it’s a girl, Felicity Olivia Michaels Diggle.”

Felicity turned to Lyla.  “Lyla, I’m so touched!”

“You and Oliver both mean so much to me and Johnny. How could we not name our child after you?”  Lyla said with pride.

Sighing, Felicity finally asked “how is he?”

Lyla’s smile faded and she briefly looked at Felicity.  “He’s ok Fel.  The first few months were bad, really bad.  We couldn’t even get him to leave your townhouse for the first two months unless it was to hunt for Thea.”

“Did he find her?” Felicity asked with concern.

“He’s come close a few times, but no.  Every time he gets close, she becomes a ghost.  We’re pretty sure she’s working with someone of means.  We just don’t know who yet,” Lyla said.

Felicity turned her head and stared out of the window.  Putting her head in her hand, she leaned against the door.  “What am I going to do Lyla?  Oliver is going to hate me.”

“Hate you? No way.  Will he be pissed for a while?  Of course he will.  Waller came clean with me a week ago about your whereabouts.  Do you have any idea how hard it’s been to not tell Johnny about this? He’s going to be pissed at me but he can’t stay mad at me too long.  I am carrying his child after all,” Lyla laughed.  “My suggestion…just rip the band aide off.  Go right to Oliver and tell him you’re alive. Don’t give him the opportunity to be mad,” she added.

They drove the rest of the way in silence.  Lyla took Felicity directly to her townhouse.  Stopping the car out front, she asked “do you want me to come in with you?”

“Thanks, but I’m sure you’re tired from the drive.  Besides, I need to get settled and head over to the lair to rip off that band aide,” Felicity said and smiled.

“Ok then. Oliver spends just about every single moment there.  I’m sure he’ll be there. I’m heading home to break the news to John. I’ll try to hold him off from doing anything rash for twenty-four hours until you and Oliver have time to process, but I would suggest you be ready for him tomorrow.  I won’t be pretty,” Lyla said.

“Thank you. I really appreciate it,” Felicity said. Giving her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek, Felicity got out of the car and made her way to the door of her home.

When she walked in, the first thing she noticed was everything was left exactly as she left it. Walking into her bedroom, she put her lone bag on the bad and turned around.  While everything looked the same, it certainly didn’t feel the same and she suddenly had an overwhelming need to see Oliver.  Lyla was right.  Turning back around, she headed back out the way she came.

>>\--------------->

Oliver couldn’t even tell what day it was anymore.  Everyday blended into the next.  His search for his sister still hadn’t turned up anything.  Diggle and Roy couldn’t even stand to be around him anymore, which was fine because he preferred being alone.  Even Sara had stopped coming around.  He did everything he could to make his days go by faster.  No matter what he did, no matter how many criminals he took down, it didn’t matter.  She was never more than a few moments out of his head.

He was working out alone again in the lair.  Kicking and punching the punching bag over and over again until he had to replace it three times. This last one looked like it was ready to give out at any moment, but he didn’t care.  It was the only way he could control the sorrow and emptiness he felt at losing her.

_You are not alone, and I believe in you._

She had pushed him to be better, to be more.  He pictured Slade’s face on the punching bag, which only made him punch it that much harder. He thought of his mother and how he had failed her.  He thought of Thea and tried to understand how she could become what she had become. He had lost so much in such a short amount of time.  Really, what else was there?

>>\--------------->

Felicity stood in the shadows and watched him for a few moments.  He had his back to her and she could feel the tension in him from the across the room. She hurt for him deep in her soul. She hurt for the five months they had lost.  How could she ever make it up to him?  Time to rip.

“Oliver?” She quivered.

Oliver stopped. He was afraid to turn around. That voice could not be who he thought it was.  She was gone and his mind was now starting to play tricks on him.  Great!  Now Diggle was going to have to have him committed.  He then heard footsteps moving towards him and he turned around.

“Oliver?” she said.

Oliver’s heart started to beat fast and he struggled to breath.  Could it be?  This is not possible. “Felicity?”

Felicity moved towards him slowly.  “Yeah, it’s me,” she said.

Suddenly Oliver was flooded with emotions that he couldn’t contain.  Tears fell from his eyes and his knees gave out. Before he knew it he was on the floor and Felicity knelt down in front of him.  Taking him in her arms, she held him while they both cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after much contemplation, I decided to get back to the "meat and potatoes" of what I love to write about and that is Olicity. I hope you enjoyed it and I promise more will be coming. As always, I appreciate the feedback.


	11. A Bittersweet Reunion

They sat on the mat for what seemed like forever.  Felicity stroked his cheek as he started to calm down.  Lifting his head, he stared at her.  So many emotions played across his face; wonder, confusion and then anger.  He quickly stood up 

“Where the hell have you been?  I saw your dead body? I don’t even know what to say or feel right now,” he said.

Felicity continued to kneel on the mat with her head bowed.  She still didn’t know what to say.  So she started at the beginning.

“Five months ago, I woke up in the Argus hospital.  I had been unconscious for a week.  I woke up dazed and confused and very, very sore.  Amanda Waller…” she said.

“Damn it Amanda!” He shouted.  Felicity jumped.

“She offered me a job. She said it was important to the security of the world and once the job was done, I would be free to return to my old life.  I had to work with Floyd Lawton,” she said.  “Long story short, we finished the mission and I returned home.”

“Why in the world would she allow us all to think you were dead?”  He asked in exasperation.

“She said that there could be no distractions.  The job required an exceptional marksman and Lawton’s eyepiece had been damaged during another mission.  She appealed to my sense of honor and my passion for what I can do with electronics. I couldn’t say no, Oliver. I couldn’t allow this group of terrorists to try and destroy every major government around the world,” Felicity said and final raised her eyes to his.  What she saw in his blue depths broke her heart.  He felt betrayed by her.

Oliver continued to stare at her.  For the first time, he didn’t know what to say.  The woman that sat before him wasn’t the same woman he fell in love with.  She was a stranger to him now.  Somehow she had lost the small bit of innocence that he adored. She was now a trained operative and he wasn’t quite sure how he felt about that.  He needed time to think and he definitely needed to be away from her. Walking over to the bench, he grabbed his green hoody, bow and quiver and started walking away from her.

Felicity jumped up. “Where are you going?” She asked.

Turning back around, he said, “I need some time to think and it’s time for me to patrol anyway.” He turned again to leave and her pleading stopped him.

“Oliver, please,” she begged.  “I worked so hard to get through the last five months.  All I thought about was you, and us.  I could have had any job I wanted at Argus.  Waller wanted me to stay but I couldn’t leave you.  I love you!”  She sobbed and Oliver knew she was crying.

Oliver hadn’t turned back around to face her.  He couldn’t look at her right then.  He knew if he did, if he saw her tears, that he would take her in his arms and never let go. He didn’t trust himself at that moment. She could have reached out to him at any time during these last five months and she didn’t.  Not once did she call, text or even send an email saying she was ok.  He may have somewhat understood if she had, but at that moment he couldn’t understand because of the emotional hell he had been through believing she was dead. As hard as it was, he continued out and left the lair without another word.

Felicity stood in the middle of the room in a state of shock.  She knew Oliver would be upset with her for the choice she made, but she had no idea how badly she had hurt him.  The consequences of her decision had caused a riff between them, and what scared her the most was the possibility that they may never recover from it.

Walking over to the office, Felicity stared at the computers.  Computers were her lifeline.  As a child, when she had no friends, computers were her friends. As a teenager when her drunk mother would embarrass her to no end, computers were her confidantes. No matter the problem, no matter the pain, she could always count on her machines to make her feel better. Counting on them once again, she sat down and turned them on.  Her first order of business; find Thea.

Oliver sat on the rooftop of the old foundry and stared at the streets below. Inside, a war was waging and he just could not wrap his head around the fact that Felicity was alive. Felicity was alive and rather than embrace her and be grateful she was alive, he left her crying. He ran away like an angry child. He ran away like the old Oliver used to do. When things got tough, the old Oliver either ran or allowed his parents to deal with it.  Oliver was no longer that man and both his parents were now gone.

Back at the lair, Felicity was going through the information and footage over the last five months. Thankfully, John and Roy had kept exceptional records of the places where Thea had been seen.  So she backtracked.  She looked for patterns.  It was easy for her to get back to her old habits.  As usual, the guys had missed a few key patterns it wasn’t long before Felicity started putting them together.  From what Felicity had gathered so far, Thea was still in the vicinity.

Rubbing her eyes and stretching her neck, she looked down at her phone. How was it already almost 3am? She had been at it for almost six hours and Oliver still had not returned.  She was tired and frustrated.  It was time to call it a night.  Making some final notes, she powered down and went home.  She hoped things would be clearer in the morning.

Oliver watched Felicity leave the lair from the roof of the adjacent building. It took every ounce of strength to not go back in there and talk to her.  She looked tired and he knew he put that weariness on her face. He watched her get into her car and drive away.  Pulling out his phone, he dialed.

The other line picked up after three rings.  “I’m surprised it took you this long to call me Oliver,” Amanda said.

>>\--------------->

It was almost two o’clock in the afternoon before Felicity finally awoke.  It had taken her a while to fall asleep but eventually she passed out.  Between the few hours of sleep she had gotten over the last five months and what happened with Oliver last night, it’s no wonder she didn’t sleep longer.  A hot shower and a cup of coffee would be a start to making it all better.

Oliver heard the shower start and knew Felicity was finally up.  He’d been sitting in the corner of her living room for last four hours. She had left her new cell number on the desk at the lair.  He had taken it home with him.  He had only slept a few hours and upon waking, knew that the only place he wanted to be was with her. He had treated her so badly last night. He needed to clear the air.

Twenty minutes later, Felicity made her way to the kitchen as she pulled her robe tighter around her waist.  Lyla had put some groceries in her fridge.  She’ll have to thank her for that.  Waiting for the coffee, Felicity picked up her phone.  She had four missed call and three messages; all from John.  Oliver hadn’t reached out to her once.

Coffee in one hand and her phone in the other, Felicity made her way into the living room. Just as she was putting the mug to her mouth, she noticed Oliver sitting in the chair in the corner and she squealed. “Oh my God Oliver! You scared me half to death.” She stared at him for a moment. Gone was the look of betrayal. Instead, he wore his trademark stoic, unreadable face.  This was the face he used when he really didn’t want someone to know what he was thinking, and that scared her more than anything.

“Can I get you some coffee?”  She asked, gesturing back to the kitchen.

“No, thank you,” he answered.

For lack of anything better to do, Felicity slowly sat down on her couch and faced him. She set her phone down and held tight to her mug.  She was surprised by his visit.  She wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel because all she felt was numb at that moment. If he came to tell her to go back to Argus, start a life without him, she was pretty sure she would crumble. She held her breath in anticipation of what he might say.  The suspense was killing her 

“Oliver, I…” she started.

“Felicity, I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen,” he stated.

“Ok,” she whispered.

“The night you were shot, I thought I had lost everything.  I had watched you bleed out, and I had hoped beyond hope that Argus’ doctors would help you and bring you back to me.  I loved you Felicity and I was finally able to admit it without fear.  When the doctor told me you were gone, I didn’t want to believe it; even though I saw your dead body.  I was a mess and I felt as lost as I did during those first few days on the island. I was powerless, and I don’t do powerless any more Felicity,” he said.  “I need to be in control of my own fate.  You took that control away from me and damn it Felicity, that pissed me off.”

Felicity jumped slightly at his elevated voice.  “Oliver, I’m so sorry. I…”

“I’m not done,” he interrupted and stood.  He slowly made his way towards her and for the first time since they met, she was afraid of him.  She wasn’t physically afraid of him because she knew he would never hurt her in that way, but she was afraid her heart wouldn’t be able to take the rejection she believed was coming.

Standing over her, he said “then all of a sudden, you're here.  You’re alive and well, and all I could think about last night was that you didn’t even attempt to contact me in the last five months to let me know you were ok.”  Suddenly his face softened and he knelt down in front of her.  He took the coffee mug from her hand and placed it on the table next to them. Taking her hand in his, he said “don’t ever do that to me again.”

Felicity released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and launched herself into Oliver’s arms.  Just when she thought she had no tears left to shed, the floodgates opened and she sobbed. Oliver held her tight and stood with her in his arms.

Pulling back, Felicity looked into his eyes.  She had missed those eyes so much.  They held every emotion that Oliver was capable of and she always knew exactly what to say when she looked into them.  She knew him even better than she knew herself.  “Oliver, I am so sorry.  If I thought I could have walked away from that mission with a clear conscious, I would have. I thought about what you would have done and I knew I had to go,” she said.

“I called Amanda Waller last night,” Oliver stated.

Felicity was surprised. “Why?”  She asked.

“Well mostly because I needed to give her a piece of my mind and tell her that any chance she had of me helping with anything having to do with Argus in the future was shot to hell.  Then she told me what you had done and how hard you worked to finish the mission.  She said Lawton came to trust you, which was no small feat in and of itself.  The fact that the mission only took five months to complete was a small miracle. They had been trying to take down that terrorist cell for over a year.  She said she never saw anyone as motivated as you,” he said.

“I had a lot at stake,” Felicity whispered.  “I knew I had to get back to Starling City.  I knew I had to get back to you.”

Reaching up, she pulled Oliver down for a kiss.  Her lips opened slightly and he took the cue.  Sweeping his tongue past her lips, he stroked the inside of her mouth. She sighed and melted into his arms. In all her imagination, Felicity never thought this would feel as good as it did at that moment. Oliver’s hands spread across her back and he moved his left hand up into her still damp hair. Angling his head, he took the kiss deeper.

A sudden simultaneous buzzing interrupted their splendor and they pulled apart. Oliver’s phone was buzzing in his pocket and Felicity’s on the table.  Checking his phone, Oliver sees it’s John.  Felicity looks down and sees her call is from Lyla.  Turning away from each other, they answer at almost the exact same moment.  It still amazes Felicity how in sync they are.

“Lyla? I’m sorry I haven’t called…” Felicity said.

“John, I’m with Felicity right now.  Can I call you back?” Oliver asked.

“What?” They both said in surprise.

“We’re on our way,” Oliver said and hung up.  Looking at Felicity, he smiled.  She smiled back. “Little Diggle is about to arrive,” he said.  “Get dressed.”

Felicity turned to make her way to her bedroom when Oliver quickly pulled her back for a kiss. It was wet, it was hot and it was a promise of things to come.  “I love you, and we’re going to continue this later,” he promised and released her. Felicity smiled and hurried to get dressed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I keep thanking everyone, but I am so touched by your words of encouragement. I appreciate the feedback and I hope you enjoy.


	12. A Tiny Surprise and Reality Sets In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baby Diggle arrives and Felicity's stress starts to take its toll, but Oliver is there to comfort her.

Felicity couldn’t help but smile.  She never even considered having children herself, but as she held John Oliver Michaels Diggle in her arms, her heart was overflowing.  He was absolutely beautiful and slept so peacefully in her arms as she slowly walked around the room.

Looking over at John and Lyla, she grinned from ear to ear.  “You guys did good,” she said.  “He’s perfect.”

Lyla smiled back and looked up adoringly at John.  “Yeah, he is pretty perfect,” Lyla said.

Oliver was standing by the door taking the scene in, smiling and holding about two dozen balloons that Felicity insisted on bringing.  Felicity looked good holding a baby.  His heart expanded and beat furiously in his chest.  Could he even hope to have a normal life and a family? He was so driven in saving the city, and now finding his misguided sister.  He still wasn’t sure he could forgive Thea for putting Felicity in harm’s way, but he had to find her to at least try to understand.  What if he never found Thea?  What if she came after Felicity again?  They had to put this behind them before they could even consider having a life together.

John walked over to Oliver and smiled.  They watched Felicity hand little John back to Lyla and they softly continued chatting about the baby’s cuteness.

“You ok man?” John asked.

Oliver turned to John and smiled.  “Yeah, I’m ok…now that she’s home.”

“I’d like to take this opportunity to say that if you hurt her, you and I are not going be in a good place.  You know that, right?” John said in a hushed sternness.

“I wouldn’t dream of it, but until we find Thea, we’re going to have to keep an eye on her, and Lyla and baby John for that matter,” Oliver said.  “There’s no telling what she might be capable of. We need to be prepared for anything.”

“No doubt,” Diggle agreed. 

“For now, I’m putting Roy on double duty and I’ll call Sara.  You need to take some time off to be with your family,” Oliver insisted.

“What about you?” Diggle asked.  He gestured towards Felicity.  “You just got her back.  Don’t you think you should take the time to be with her too?”

Oliver thought for a moment.  That’s all he wanted to do, but her safety came first.  He had come so close to losing her several times since they had met; the doll marker, the clock king, the Count and then Slade.  Losing her to his own sister just about undid him. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

Felicity made her way over to the Oliver and John.  Hugging John, she whispered, “Congratulations dad.”

John smiled and hugged her back.  “Thanks, and I am so happy you’re back.  You have no idea how much I missed you; not to mention having to deal with this guy.” He smiled and looked down at her sweet face.  “He loves you, you know?”

Felicity smiled over at Oliver. “Yeah, I do know.”

Oliver and Felicity left the hospital in comfortable silence.  She turned to Oliver and said, “Can we go by the lair before heading home?”

“Sure. Why?”  He asked.

“I left a few programs running.  I traced a pattern of Thea’s whereabouts before I left last night.  She’s still in Starling City.  I want to see if we’re any closer to finding her.  I haven’t gotten any alerts on my phone, but I’d like to at least check,” she said.

“Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?”  Oliver asked in surprise.

“I was going to, but you wouldn’t let me talk and then we got the call to go the hospital. Trust me, if I had gotten any alerts, I would have told you,” she said.

They arrived at the lair ten minutes later.  It did Oliver’s heart good to see her back in action at her computers. She was in her element, and when she was, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do.  “Do you mind showing me what you have so far?” He asked, leaning over her shoulder.

She pulled up the old videos and triangulated the sightings in and around the Glades. It seemed his little sister still held an affinity for that area.  “We need to get Roy in on this,” Oliver said and dialed his phone.

Twenty minutes later, Roy walked in and ran to Felicity.  “Are you kidding me Blondie?  Where the hell have you been?  Do you have any idea how hard it was dealing with this one after we thought you were dead?” He said.

Felicity laughed and hugged him tightly.  Oliver knew that Roy and Felicity always had a special bond.  He had been jealous of it at one point, until he realized that it was more of a brother/sister relationship more than anything.  He also knew how much Roy had loved Thea. He wasn’t looking forward to this conversation.

“I hate to interrupt the reunion, but we have some Arrow business to discuss,” Oliver said.

Roy turned back to Oliver.  “Hey, you’ve had her all to yourself for almost twenty four hours dude.  Give a guy a break.  I missed my nerd,” he said and Felicity lightly punched him in the bicep.

“It’s about Thea,” Oliver said quietly.

Suddenly, Roy lost the smile and gleam in his eye.  His faced turned impassive.  Oliver knew that look all to well.  Whenever Roy wanted to put a wall up, that was the look he got.

“I was about to narrow down the search for her Roy,” Felicity added.  “We think she’s hiding in the Glades.”

Turning back to Felicity with surprise, he said, “There’s no way she would be there without me knowing it.  I have eyes and ears all over that place.”

“Do you doubt Felicity’s capabilities?”  Oliver asked.

Looking at Felicity, Roy knew it probably was true.  He just wasn’t sure he was ready to face the situation.  “Are you sure Blondie?  Are you absolutely sure?”  He asked her.

“I’m about 95% sure Roy,” she replied.  “Here, take a look.”

Within an hour, Oliver had called Sara and the team had a plan to track Thea down and bring her in alive.  Even after what she had done, she was still Oliver’s baby sister.  Felicity and Oliver both believed they could help her through whatever it was she was dealing with.  Roy wasn’t so sure, but he kept that doubt to himself.  Thea had made it perfectly clear in her letter that she wanted nothing to do with him.  She had broken his heart, and even now, he wasn’t so sure he had a heart to begin with.

After Roy left, Felicity checked her alerts to make sure they would go to both her phone and tablet.  Oliver to had to practically drag her bodily away from the computers, but he could tell she was tired. He was going to make sure she got home ok and got the rest she needed.

Arriving back at Felicity’s apartment, Oliver removed her jacket as he walked her into her bedroom. He took her jacket and bag and laid them on the chair in the corner of her bedroom.  When he turned back to her, she was staring down at her bed. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her.  Linking his fingers over her tummy, he pulled her back to his chest and she rested her head on his shoulder. Bringing his left hand up, he moved her long hair aside from her right shoulder and put his lips against the sensitive part of her neck just below her ear.  She sighed and closed her eyes.

“You need to rest,” he whispered.  “You look like you’re about to fall asleep standing up. 

“Mm,” she said. “I think I need to catch up on about six months worth of sleep.”

“How about I run you a bath?”  He asked.

“That sounds amazing!” She gasped.

Oliver made his way into her bathroom.  Since he had stayed there for a couple of months after her supposed death, he knew her house just as well as he knew the Queen Manor.  Pulling out the lavender bath salts and bubble bath from under the sink, he started the water in the tub.  Once it was the right temperature, he put the stopper in, threw in the bath salts and bubble bath, and turned around to find Felicity standing in the doorway in just her robe. He was pretty sure that if she hadn’t been leaning up against the doorway that she would fall to the floor.

“Go ahead and get in. I’ll bring you some wine,” he said softly.

“Ok,” she said with a slight smile.

After Oliver left, Felicity closed the door half way, took off her robe and hung it on the back. She slowly stepped into the bubble filled tub until she was fully lying under the water.  Using her foot, she turned the water off and laid back. She had rolled up a towel and used it as a neck rest.  Closing her eyes, she sighed and could slowly feel all her muscles relax.  Before she knew it, the stress of what she had been through in the last six months started to take its toll and she started to cry. She knew it was mostly because she was overtired.  Wiping her hands across her face, she brushed the tears aside and tried to continue to relax.

Felicity opened her eyes when she heard a light knock at the door.  Her nude body was completely covered in bubbles.  So she felt comfortable saying “come in.”

Oliver sat down on the closed toilet adjacent to the tub and handed her the glass of wine. Taking a soft sip, she rolled he eyes and sighed her appreciation of the flavor on her tongue.  Looking up at Oliver, she smiled.  “Lafite Rothschild.  You remembered,” she said.

“I will never forget the look on your face that day when I mentioned it,” he said. Noticing her red eyes, his face turned concerned.  “Are you ok?”

“No, but I will be. I’m just glad to be home. It was exciting working for Argus, but the need to be here was so strong that it drove me to work twice as hard on little sleep.  I guess it’s finally catching up to me,” she admitted.

He sighed. “Enjoy the wine.  I’ll be back shortly.”

While Felicity enjoyed her bath, Oliver got to work on making her room comfortable. Her sheets had been freshly laundered and he turned the bed down for her.  Opening her closet, he pulled out one of his old tee shirts. It would be swimming on her but he knew she would be comfortable in it.  When he felt it was about time for the water to be luke warm, he grabbed a large, fluffy towel and headed back into the bathroom.

Felicity had laid the empty wine glass on the floor next to the tub and stared up at Oliver as he walked in.  Holding the towel out, he gestured for her to rise out of the water.  He turned his head to allow for a bit of modesty.  When he felt her standing next to him, he quickly wrapped her in the towel and pulled her to him.  Gently rubbing the towel up and down her arms and back, he then turned around to allow her to finish.  Out of the corner of his eye, he could see part of her reflection in the mirror. Leaning out of the bathroom briefly, he grabbed the tee shirt and turned back around.  Felicity was holding the towel to her front. As he pulled the shirt over her head, she dropped the towel to put her arms through the holes.

“Come on,” he said and grabbed her hand to pull her into the bedroom.  He led her to the bed and motioned for her to lie down.

Lying on her side, Felicity curled her legs and feet under the sheet and Oliver pulled it up to her shoulder before sitting down next to her.  He leaned down and kissed her forehead.  “Get some sleep,” he whispered.

Grabbing his hand, Felicity stopped him from getting up from the bed.  “Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” She asked.

He thought for a moment and said, “Of course.  Move over,” he whispered.

Moving over to allow him room, Oliver kicked his boots off and got into the bed next to her. “Turn over,” he said.

Felicity turned over and Oliver pulled her back to his chest.  She could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and when he put his arm over her waist and laid his hand on her tummy, she pulled it up to her chest and held it tight.  Within minutes, she was fast asleep.

Oliver breathed in her scent and sighed.  He could feel her even breathing, and when he felt it was safe enough for him to relax, his muscles slowly relaxed one by one.  He could hold her like this forever.  A few minutes later, he was fast asleep and dreaming of his beautiful, babbling blonde IT girl.


	13. A Moment of Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity take the next step in their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is sex ahead. I thought it was about time they consummated their relationship. I tried very hard to express the depth of their feelings for one another in this chapter. I hope I did that. Enjoy!

Oliver woke with a start.  He had been having a nightmare but his mind couldn’t quite remember what it was about. Sighing, he looked down and saw Felicity still fast asleep and resting comfortably on his chest. Sometime during the night, he rolled over to his back and must have pulled her with him.  Her left leg was draped over his groin and her left hand was lightly resting under his shirt and against his abs.  She felt so warm against him and he leaned down to kiss her forehead.  Sighing in her sleep, she snuggled closer 

Looking over at the alarm clock, he realized they had been asleep for nearly five hours. It was still dark outside. So he decided not to disturb her by moving.  He wanted to just lie there and enjoy the comfort of her body against his.  He stared up at her bedroom ceiling and his mind drifted. He couldn’t help but think about his baby sister.  She wasn’t a baby anymore, but he would always think of her as a baby.  She had been through so much in such a short amount of time. He felt incredibly guilty for not being there for her as much as he should have.  He also felt guilty about her relationship with Roy. She was the one bright spot in Roy’s life.  There was no telling what would have happened to him had he not been cured of the Mirakuru. The kid had started to grow on him. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes to try and relax again when he felt a small, soft hand move to graze his abs.

“You think very loudly, hero,” Felicity whispered and lifted her head to look into his eyes. Although the room was fairly dark, a small sliver of light showed through the slit in the curtains and casted a golden glow across the ceiling.

Oliver smiled. Felicity had always called him a hero, even when he believed he wasn’t one.  “I’m sorry,” he said.  “How did you know I was awake?  You were old cold.”

“The rhythm of your heartbeat changed a little and I’m a light sleeper.  Something I had to learn very quickly while working with Deadshot,” she said and laid her head back down on his chest.

Oliver tensed a bit at hearing that name.  He had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that she worked with someone like that. He couldn’t even imagine the horrible dangers she had been put in alongside that psycho but what was done, was done. He of all people understood the need to make things right.  He had spent the last three years trying to do just that.

Felicity continued stroking Oliver’s abs and a warmth began to spread from deep inside her belly. She had dreamt so long about touching and kissing him and suddenly she realized she wasn’t tired anymore. She leaned up again to look at his face. He looked into her eyes and smiled. Moving her hand to his neck, she pulled his mouth down to hers.  The kiss was tentative at first.  It was soft and spoke volumes about how they felt about one another.  Moving his right hand up, Oliver pulled her close, changed the angle of his head and deepened the kiss.

Felicity moaned and leaned into him.  Turning on his side, he pulled her up so that her face was at the same level as his. He wrapped both his arms around her and pulled her body flush against his.  His tongue swept past her lips and stroked the inside of her mouth. Her left hand played with the short, cropped hair at the back of his neck as she tried to pull him closer. Even with as close as they were at that moment, she couldn’t seem to get closer.

Oliver slowly moved his hands down her back to rest at her hips.  Taking his cue, Felicity moved her leg up his jean clad thigh and wrapped it around his hip just as he moved his hands to the curve of her ass and pulled her against his groin.  Feeling the heavy curtain of desire take over, Oliver turned the kiss more urgent.  Angling his head again, he drove his tongue into her mouth deeper and stroked hers with an urgency that surprised even him.

Felicity moved her hands down Oliver’s shoulders and to his back.  Bunching his shirt in her fists, she pulled up until she could feel the heated skin of his back.  Her fingers traced every scar they could find.  She knew those scars well by sight because of all the times she had patched him up after a mission, but never by touch, or at least this kind of touch. When her hand reached a particular scar at his lower back, he shuddered and squeezed her ass, causing her to moan.

Oliver knew Felicity was naked under his shirt and it fueled his desire even more. He wanted to take things slow. She deserved that. He wanted to feel her perfect skin against his very scarred one.  Breaking the kiss momentarily, he quickly sat up, pulled his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor next to the bed.  Before leaning back down, he looked down at her beautiful face. Her hair was spread out across the pillow and her eyes were glazed with desire.  There was nothing he wouldn’t do to protect her, to be worthy of her love.

Pulling her back into his arms and rolling her to her back, he leaned up on his forearms to keep from crushing her.  His body fit perfectly into the v of her legs.  She brought her right knee up and rested her calf across the back of his left calf. The denim of his pants was surprisingly soft and she didn’t mind the barrier between them; at least for the moment.

“Felicity,” he whispered as he lowered his mouth to hers.  He kissed her lightly, then moved his lips to the soft skin of her throat. The v-neck of the shirt had pulled lower during their shift on the bed and her left shoulder was exposed. He moved his mouth to it and grazed open mouth kisses across it.  Felicity quivered and moved her hands along his ribcage.  He slowly moved his right hand down her left side until his fingers reached the hem of the shirt at the top of her thigh. Moving his hand up and under the shirt, his fingers lightly stroked up, dragging the shirt with him. Her skin was warm and soft, and as his fingers skimmed her ribs, goose bumps formed on her skin and her nipples instantly hardened.  When his hand reached the taut peak, she moaned and threw her head back against the pillow.

Felicity was pretty sure she had never felt anything as exquisite as Oliver’s hands on her body. He had barely touched her and she was already on fire.  She felt him pulling the shirt up higher until it couldn’t go any further.  He dipped his head and took her into his mouth, and she thought she would come right off the bed.  He gently suckled, lightly bit down and when Felicity’s breath caught in her throat, he dragged his tongue across the distended tip to sooth it only to do it all over again; suckle, bite and drag; suckle, bite and drag.  Just when she thought she couldn’t take anymore, he turned his attention to her other breast and repeated the same process until she could barely breath.

Leaning up, Oliver helped Felicity remove the shirt up and over her head.  Flinging the shirt to land next to his, he leaned down and kissed her.  The feel of her against his chest was beyond anything he had ever felt.  Sure, he had slept with many women; probably more than he would have liked to admit, but this was different.  This was his Felicity.  She accepted him for who he was.  He never had to be anything other than himself with her.  Their relationship had grown from trust and friendship to deep respect and love.  It was the love part that had completely taken him by surprise.  He had already resigned himself to the fact that he would spend his life alone. Eventually his body wouldn’t be able to take the rigorous effects of what he did every night. He lived day-to-day and never really looked to the future, until now.  Tonight was about them.  Tonight was about her.

Oliver moved his lips down Felicity’s neck and trailed his mouth down between her breasts. She still smelled like lavender and the scent swirled up into his nostrils and made him dizzy with a desire that he could barely keep contained.  He let his desire guide him to her belly button, where he dipped his tongue and moaned. Felicity could feel the vibration all the way down to her core. 

Oliver settled his shoulders between Felicity’s legs.  Trailing his right hand up to her left knee, he gently lifted until her leg was draped across his right shoulder.  Felicity knew what was about to happen and she was suddenly shy and could feel heat rise in her cheeks.  “Oliver…” she hesitated.

Before she could say another word, he was kissing the insides of her thighs and making his way to her center.  His days worth growth of facial hair tickled her thighs.  When his lips finally reached her center, all thought went right out of her head as she arched her back and shouted, “Oliver!”

Oliver smiled before delving his tongue into her wet heat.  She tasted like honey and sunshine.  She tasted like home, and it didn’t take long before he was graced with her first orgasm. “Oh God, oh God, oh God!”  She shouted as she came apart under him.  He slowly kissed his way up until he found a particular sensitive spot where her hipbone met her leg and she shuddered.  Moving from one side to the other, he quickly worked the buttons of his jeans and started shimmying out of them, dragging both his pants and boxer briefs down to his ankles with just the movement of his legs.  He swiftly pushed them to the floor has he continued kissing his way back up her body.

When he made it to her mouth and kissed her deeply.  Felicity could taste herself on his lips and it fueled her desire as she wrapped her legs around his hips.  He pulled back and looked into the blue depths of her eyes and saw himself mirrored in there. Everything he felt about her, everything they had gone through together to save their city and the future that they hoped to have was all right there in her eyes.

“I love you,” he whispered.  “I love you so much.”

Felicity stared at him for a moment.  There was nothing she wouldn’t do for him.  There was nothing they couldn’t accomplish together as long as they were together.

“I love you too. More than you will ever know,” she whispered back.

In one swift motion, he was buried deep inside her.  She clung to his shoulders at the pain of his intrusion; reminding her how long it has been since she had made love with anyone.  Oliver sensed her distress and knew right away that he had to give her a few moments to adjust to his size.  He kissed her cheeks, her neck and when he had her nipple in his mouth once again, the floodgates opened and she started to move her hips against his; letting him know it was ok for him to move.

They moved in near perfect synchronization.  When he withdrew, she receded.  When he plunged, she thrust her hips up to meet him.  They couldn’t get close enough.  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tight.  When that wasn’t enough, he quickly wrapped his arms around her back, raised up on his knees and dragged her up his body until she was seated on top of him without breaking the contact of their bodies for one second.

Felicity’s internal muscles started to quiver and thicken.  Oliver knew she was close and there was no way he going to climax before her. He needed to feel that pulsing around him when he let go.  They had easily connected on every level in their lives, and this was the least piece of the puzzle to complete them.

Felicity was breathing heavy and she could feel her impending orgasm.  She knew this was going to be even bigger than her first, and somehow she knew it would always be like this with them. He held her close as she rode him. Her clit was rubbing against his groin and causing a delicious friction.  She threw her head back and moaned as his lips found her throat again. She could feel his hand in her hair at her nape and he gently pulled, exposing her throat further. When the top of his penis brushed across her sweet spot, she saw stars.  “Ah…ah…ahhhhh,” she cried.  Oliver followed and Felicity could feel him pulse inside her womb at the same time.  He grunted his pleasure and took her mouth in a rough kiss.

Still connected, Oliver fell back with Felicity in his arms and still connected to his body. She fell across his chest and struggled to catch her breath.  “Wow,” she said. “Just…wow.”  Oliver laughed and the vibration of his chest against her ear made her smile. 

“Are you laughing at me Queen?”  She asked as she wearily raised her head from his chest.

“Never,” he replied and smiled.

Felicity smiled and laid her head back down on his chest.  Moving her hand over his heart and up to his Bratva tattoo, she lightly traced its outline with her fingertips.  She remembered the first time he told her about his Russian friend, Anatoly. When Felicity finally got to meet him, she understood why they remained so loyal to one another. That tattoo signified everything that Oliver was about; bravery, loyalty and heart.  All the things she loved the most about him.

“You think very loudly Ms. Smoak,” he whispered.  He quickly sat up and rolled her to her back.  Looking down at her, he asked, “Whatcha thinking about?”

‘I was thinking about the kind of man you really are and how very few people know it,” she said.

“And what kind of man is that?”  He questioned.

Putting her arms around neck, she pulled his face down towards hers.  Kissing his forehead, she said, “You’re brave.” He smiled.  Kissing his nose, she said, “You’re loyal.” Finally kissing his mouth gently with a small sweep of the tongue, she said, “And you have a huge heart.”

Oliver’s smile faded and his eyes softened.  No matter what he’s done or who he’s killed, she always sees the best in him, and that never ceased to amaze him.

They spend the next two hours talking, laughing and making love.  While Felicity already knew quite a bit about Oliver’s body just from watching him spar with John or Roy shirtless, he knew very little about hers. Besides the spot on her lower hip, he found one spot on her left shoulder that was particularly sensitive. He realized it was the same spot he would always touch when he wanted to comfort her or stall her babbling. Felicity found that Oliver had a similar sensitive spot just below his groin.  It fascinated her so much that he wound up with a very large hicky on it before she took his rigid length into her mouth.  It was his turn to see stars then.  At one point, he had flipped her onto her stomach and kissed his way down her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, in search of more sensitive spots.  He catalogued every part of her body for future referenced, and when he suddenly pulled her hips up and took her from behind, she thought she had died and gone to heaven.

They finally collapsed into each other’s arms around 5am with smiles on their faces and a new hope for a future together.  It was sometime later when a pounding on her apartment door jarred them from their slumber. Oliver immediately came awake and dragged his jeans on without his boxer briefs.  Checking the peephole to see Sara standing there, he quickly opened the door.

“Ollie, we found her,” she said.  Oliver turned to stare back at Felicity who was smiling.


	14. Thea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea is found but she's not the same.

Oliver, Felicity and Sara made their way back to the lair to meet up with Roy and Diggle. On the way, Sara had filled him in on what Roy had discovered from his friends on the streets in the Glades.

“Thea’s been moving from abandoned warehouse to abandoned warehouse posing as a homeless person. Whenever she’s even remotely recognized by someone, she takes off,” Roy said.  “We gotta find her Oliver.”

“We will. Felicity?”  Oliver said.

“I’m on it,” she replied and already typing furiously away at the computer.  “Facial recognition shows me she just walked into the warehouse down by the docks about an hour ago.  I don’t have any feed of her leaving there.  Oliver, that’s the same warehouse where you guys took all of those guns just before…” she swallowed.  “Just before I left.”

“I’m going!” Roy shouted.

“No wait,” Sara said. “I think Oliver should go.”

“Wait, what? “ Roy asked.

“No offense Roy, but I think we have a better chance of catching her with Oliver. She left you that goodbye note. Seeing you there may spook her,” Sara rationalized.

“She’s right,” Oliver said.  Seeing Roy’s disappointment, he added, “how about you guys come as back up?  I’ll go in alone and you cover me.  It’s daytime anyway.  I can’t exactly go in as the Arrow.”

Roy didn’t like it. He knew Thea had to have been scared, or else why would she hide in the Glades?  Especially knowing that was his territory. Roy couldn’t exactly force Oliver to not go after his sister. 

After deciding on Oliver’s plan, Oliver walked over to Felicity and placed a hand on her shoulder. Leaning down, he briefly kissed her on her lips.  “Stay here.” Felicity nodded in agreement.

The warehouse was oddly quiet.  Checking his watch, Oliver noticed it was only 10:30am.  Without the cover of darkness, anything could happen.  The team decided to take different positions at the warehouse this time around.  Oliver would still go inside, but instead of Roy entering from the roof, Sara would come in to cover him from there.  Roy and Diggle were situated together at the back entrance in case Thea decided to run.

“I’m going in,” Oliver confirmed into his comm.  Making his way into the warehouse, Oliver did his best to go as slowly and quietly as possible.  The warehouse was large, but there were very few places to actually hide since Starling City’s finest cleaned it out after the raid.  Oliver decided to establish a perimeter as best he could. Looking up, he noticed Sara sneaking down the ladder from the opening in the ceiling.

The warehouse was dirty and smelled musty.  How was it possible that Thea was able to live in places like this?  His worry increased and suddenly he was scared as to what he might find.  Already having walked a third of the warehouse without any sign of him, he heard Sara in his ear.

“Ollie, I think I see her,” she said.

Looking up at Sara, she pointed at the southwest corner of the warehouse. Making his way around the corner, he hears muttering and small sobs.  Turning the corner, he sees her.  She’s crouched down into the corner with her knees drawn up to the chest. Her head is resting on her forearms, and she’s rocking back and forth and mumbling.  Not being able to quite make out what she is saying, Oliver moves closer.

“No, no, no. No, no, no,” she whispered. “They lie.  They all lie.”

Oliver sensed Sara behind him.  Motioning to his left, she flanked him so he could approach Thea slowly. The last thing he wanted to do was spook her.  There was definitely something very wrong with her.  Her hair was matted and her clothes were filthy.  Looking around her, he noticed a few blankets.  Knowing the cops wouldn’t come back after cleaning it out, she probably felt safe there.  It was now or never.

“Thea?” He asked.  No answer.  She didn’t even move.  “Thea?” He crouched down next to her.

“No, no, no. Please go away,” she whispered. “Everyone lies. Lies, lies, lies.”

“Speedy?” He asked and placed his hand on her shoulder.  “Speedy, it’s me, Ollie.”

Thea stopped rocking and mumbling but she didn’t raise her head up to look at him. Sara hung back. She didn’t have a good feeling about what they were about to deal with.  It was clear that Thea was emotionally damaged.  She reached into her pocket for a syringe. Ollie didn’t know she had brought a tranquilizer.  She was prepared to use it if she had to; not just for Thea’s safety, but their own.

“Thea, please look at him,” Oliver gently insisted.

Thea slowly raised her head.  Her face was streaked with dirt.  Her eyes were wide with a fierce wildness.  Gone was the innocence that Oliver knew and loved.  Behind her beautiful hazel eyes was sadness and darkness.  Oliver recognized those things because he saw it in him whenever he donned the green hood and picked up his bow. 

“We have to get you out of here Speedy,” he said gently.  “Come with me.  Let me take care of you.”

Thea allowed him to help her up from the blanket.  Her head hung low and she stared at her worn and greasy shoes.  Sara watched her carefully.  Just as Oliver started to help Thea walk, her head snapped up and she punched him in the jaw.  Temporarily stunned, Oliver stepped back.  Staring at Thea, Oliver noticed a fierceness that almost frightened him. He saw Malcolm Merlyn.

Moving quickly, Thea suddenly kicked him in the abdomen.  Knocked back a few more steps, she took him off his feet with a roundhouse kick. Lying on the floor, she kicked him the ribs.  He grunted in pain but he couldn’t bring himself to get up and hit her back.  Stopping in mid-kick, Thea suddenly went still. Closing her eyes, she fell over next to him on the floor.  Looking up, Sara was standing just behind her with an empty syringe in her hand.

>>\--------------->

“Oh my God! What the hell happened?” Felicity said.

“It seems the younger Queen has learned some new tricks in the months she’s been missing,” Diggle said.

Oliver placed Thea on the exam table and stepped back.  Staring down at this little sister, all he could think of was all the ways he had disappointed her or let her down.  She deserved more.  She deserved better. He, his mother and Malcolm Merlyn made the person she was at that moment.  Gone was the sweet, carefree teenager. 

Sara went to strap her down to the table when Oliver placed a hand over hers. “Don’t,” he said.

“Ollie, she’s clearly been trained.  We can’t trust her,” Sara said.

“You knocked her out Sara.  With that dosage you gave her, she’ll be out for at least eight hours,” he said.

“I’m sorry Ollie. I just thought we should be prepared for anything,” she said.

“I know. You had the presence of mind to be prepared Sara.  I can’t fault you for that,” he replied and smiled.

“Now what?” Roy asked anxiously.

“We wait, but I would like to ask a favor of Felicity and Sara,” he asked and turned to them.

The girls nodded and Felicity said, “anything.”

“Can you get her cleaned up while she’s unconscious?  I can’t bear to see her like this,” he asked.

“I’ve got some extra clothes with me,” Sara said and she made her way to her bag on the opposite table. Grabbing a few things, she and Felicity started to wheel the table back into the locker room.

Roy paced back and forth for almost the entire hour the girls were with Thea. Every time he walked towards the hall leading to the locker room, either Diggle or Oliver pulled him back. He was ready to jump out of his skin. He had so many questions. He needed to hear her voice and see her eyes.  On the way to lair Sara kept talking about a crazed and angry Thea.  He’d seen Thea angry before, but crazed?  No freaking way.

“Man, if you don’t sit your ass down, I’m going to shoot you up with a tranquilizer too!” Diggle shouted. “Look, I get you feel like jumping out of your skin, but that is not what is best for Thea. We need to know more before we jump right in.”

Roy knew he was right, but after all this time, he couldn’t help himself.  Just then, Felicity and Sara rolled Thea out of the locker room. Thea was still unconscious on the table, but looked so much better.  She was in clean clothes and her skin was bright.  Aside from the damp hair, she looked almost normal.

“She mumbled a little when we moved her around,” Felicity said. 

“Were you able to make out what she said?”  Oliver asked.

“Invincible,” Felicity replied.

Oliver looked at her in confusion.  “Invincible?”

“Yeah. It was barely a whisper, but it was pretty clear,” she said and looked to Sara.

“Yes, it was,” Sara confirmed.  “Ollie, we found…we found track marks on her arms.”

A great weight fell over Oliver and he walked over to where Thea was to check her arms. Sure enough, there were several track marks up and down both arms.  Suddenly filled with rage, he turned away from her and the others to gather his thoughts. Moving to his arrow table, he looked down and stared for a moment.  The rage he felt at that moment became combustible inside of him.  Grabbing the edge of the table, he threw it over onto its side, scattering everything across the floor.

Felicity jumped and shook.  Wrapping her around her middle, she slowly walked over to Oliver.  “Oliver, do you have any idea what she meant by ‘invincible’? We need to find a way to help her and soon.”

Oliver looked down at Felicity by his side.  He saw all the love and trust he would ever deserve behind her eyes. She laid her hand on his forearm and gently squeezed.  He needed her now more than ever.  He couldn’t bear to lose one more person in his life.  Thea was the only family he had left and he’d be damned if he lost her now after only just getting her back.

Putting his hand over Felicity’s, he said, “Felicity, I need to you do a search on a drug called invincible.  It’s mostly based out of Russia.  Please call Anatoly for me. Tell him I need to meet with him as soon as possible.”

Felicity didn’t even question.  She quickly made her way to the computers and started her task at the same moment she picked up her phone to call Oliver’s friend in Russia.

Roy stood over Thea and gently brushed her hair across her forehead.  She looked so beautiful and peaceful in sleep. He hated seeing her strapped to the table like an animal and he started to remove the belts.

“What are you doing?” Sara asked.

“I’m not going to allow her to stay strapped down like this.  She’s out cold Sara.  Where is she going to go?”  Roy bit back.

“We have no idea how the tranquilizer is going to react with this drug that she has clearly been injected with numerous times.  I think we need to think of her safety as well as our own,” Sara said sternly.

Behind them, Felicity spoke softly into the phone.  She lightly giggled and then she listened for a moment before the conversation turned serious.  She explained that Oliver and his family needed him.  When she mentioned “invincible,” he got very quiet on the phone.  Asking several questions, he then said without even a moment’s hesitation that he was heading to the airport for the next flight to Starling City.  After hanging up the phone, she turned back to her screen. 

Speaking to the room, she said, “I was able to get some information as to what to expect from Thea after being exposed to this drug.  The symptoms include psychosis, bouts of rage and an eager willingness to play God. Eventually the person dies but not from the drug directly, but from the consequences of taking the drug. Victims have been shot or beaten to death by those they target.  I didn’t find any information on different drug interactions.  I’m not sure it’s a good idea to unstrap her either. Anatoly is on his way,” she added to Oliver.

“We’ll take shifts keeping any eye one her.  I think two of us should be here at all times until we figure out how to help her. My Russian friend should be able to help us. At least I hope he can,” Oliver said looking down at Thea.  “Felicity and I will stay for now.  You guys get some rest and be back here in six hours.  Roy, can you do this?  Can you keep yourself in check until we know how we can help Thea?”

Roy hesitated. His heart said to unstrap her and run away. He could give her whatever she needed, but his head told him something totally different.  He knew Oliver was right.  He needed to trust him for once.  “Ok,” he said and nodded in agreement.

After Sara, Roy and Diggle left, Oliver sat down on the couch behind where Thea rested. He laid his head back on the back cushion and sighed.  Listening to Felicity tap away at her keyboard, he allowed the sound to soothe him and remembered how much he missed hearing it the five months she was gone.  He closed his eyes and let his love for her fill him up. He had to believe that they were able to help Thea. 

After a few moments, he realized the tapping had stopped and the couch dipped slightly as Felicity sat down and rested her head on his shoulder.  He put his arm around her and drew her close. Resting his cheek on the top of her head, he breathed in her scent.

“We’re going to help her Oliver.  I won’t allow anything to happen you or her,” Felicity stated firmly.

Oliver cupped her chin and turned her to look up at him.  Her bravery always amazed him; even from the very beginning. She never cowered or hesitated on any mission or task he had ever given her.  Even when he tried to force her to find safety for herself during the Undertaking, she still insisted on remaining in the Foundry to help him. When the Count held those needles to her throat, she begged Oliver not to kill him for her. When he placed that syringe in her hand and used her as bait for Slade, she followed through and was able to cure him so Oliver could take him down.  She had become as an important part of his vision as his bow and his trusty “bodyguard” Diggle.  They truly were a team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter up. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, but I am back at the laptop and ready with some ideas. Enjoy and as always, I enjoy the feedback.


	15. Help has arrived, but is it too late?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's old friend arrives from Russia with help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taking me so long to upload another chapter. Life has been crazy. After seeing the season 3 teaser trailer, I had all these other ideas, but I kept coming back to this story. I hope you guys like it. I love kudos and comments!

Was Thea dreaming? She felt like she was dreaming a terrible dream but it seemed real.  She was running through the streets of the Glades and trying to shout at the top of her lungs, but nothing would come out.  She felt real tears streaming down her face.  She felt the pavement on her shoeless feet.  The road was wet and the pieces of loose gravel cut into her delicately manicured toes.  He hair was damp and she knew without a doubt that it looked stringy, but she didn’t care.

They lied! They all lied to her! Nothing felt real to her. Nothing was real. Her entire life had been built on a lie. The one person in her life that she could always count on, her beloved brother Ollie, was even a stranger to her now.  She ran from her real father as well.  He was a sociopath. His psychotic tendencies drove her to leave.  Where can she go now? She had no home. She had no family.

She turned around in the street and stopped.  A figure appeared not a hundred feet away.  She couldn’t make out his face but she easily recognized the red hoodie…Roy. He had betrayed her too with his lies. He had been working with the vigilante even after he told her he had stopped.  He took a step towards her and pushed back the red hood. His lips were moving, but no sound came out.

Finding her voice, she shouted, “You lied to me Roy!  You lied just like the rest of them.”

Roy shook his head no. His lips moved again, but no sound came out.  He was too far away for Thea to read his lips.  Could he hear her? He kept shaking his head and moving his lips.  Maybe he couldn’t hear her. She took a few steps towards him. He took two more steps towards her. She blinked and he was suddenly only ten feet away.

“Did you hear me Roy? You lied to me,” she repeated.

Roy shook his head again and his voice came out as a whisper.  “I love you Thea,” he said.  “Please don’t leave me.”

Thea was confused. Had she heard him right? “What?”  She asked.

“Please come back to me. I’m sorry.  I love you,” he whispered again just a touch louder. Even though he still stood ten feet away, she could feel the brush of his hand across her cheek. It calmed her momentarily, but she was afraid to trust him again.  Had he just declared his love for her?  She shook her head no back and forth, back and forth.  Her hair swept across shoulders in slow motion with each shake.

_I love you Thea!  I love you Thea!  I love you Thea!_

_No, no, no!  They lie. They all lie!_

Roy looked down at Thea as she lay on the table.  Her head was moving slightly back and forth as if she were saying no with the movement. He couldn’t stand to see her like this. The longer she lay unconscious, the more scared he became.

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I love you Thea.”

“She probably hears you, you know?”  Felicity said behind him. “Studies have shown that people who are under a deep sleep like this are still aware of the people who talk to them even if they can’t tell you.  At least that’s what I told myself when I went to visit Barry while he was in a coma.”

Ever the optimist, Roy thought.  He turned back and smiled at her.  “Do you think so?”

“Absolutely. I can pull up the research for you on the internet if you want,” she said.

“Hah, no that’s ok. I’ll take your word for it,” he said with a small smile.

Just then, the door to the lair opened, and they heard Oliver’s voice making his way down the steps. His friend from Russia must have arrived.  Neither Roy nor Felicity could understand what they were saying since they were speaking in Anatoly’s native tongue.

Reaching the base of the stairs, Oliver quickly acknowledged their presence. “Anatoly, this is Roy, and you remember Felicity,” he said.

“Ah yes. Please excuse me Roy. Beautiful ladies first,” Anatoly said and handed his bag to Oliver as he took Felicity’s hand in his and bent to kiss it.  “How very lovely to see you again Felicity.  I was overjoyed to hear of your miraculous resurrection.  My dear friend would be lost without you.”  Oliver laughed and shook his head.  Anatoly had to be one of the most charming men he’s ever met.

Felicity smiled. “It is so great to see you again Anatoly.  How are you? How’s your family?” Felicity had gotten to know Anatoly pretty well in the few days the team had spent with him rescuing Lyla from a Russian prison.  Anatoly may be a Russian mobster, but he was also a loving and devoted father and husband. While Felicity never really got to know the entire story of how he and Oliver had met, she knew instantly the loyalty they felt for one another ran deep.  Felicity assumed that they had saved each other’s lives on that hellish island. Someday she would ask Oliver their story.

“Ah, they are well my dear one.  Sasha is already in sixteen. Can you believe it? I’m already beating the young men off with a stick,” he said with a laugh and fierce twinkle in his eye. Felicity hoped he meant it figuratively or else poor Sasha would never have a boyfriend.  Oliver did tell Felicity once that Anatoly was a lot like Oliver in the sense that he did not believe in killing.  He always put the fear of God into people, and it always worked for him.

“Well if she has half the charm that you do, that is not at all surprising,” Felicity said and giggled. She was surprised to see he came alone. Surely a man of his “reputation” had bodyguards.  “You came alone? Don’t you have bodyguards or henchmen…oh God, I’m sorry.  I’ll shut up now,” she said.  Anatoly smiled at the beautiful blonde.  He was fairly certain she understood his line of work and he was totally ok with it. If Oliver trusted her, then so could he. Anatoly knew he was one of the few people that Oliver confessed his feelings about Felicity.

Turning back to Roy, he asked, “So this is him, yes?”  He asked Oliver.

“Yes,” Oliver replied.

Anatoly quickly grabbed Roy’s hand to shake it.  The extreme firmness of Roy’s handshake did not go unnoticed by Anatoly, and he held his stare for a moment.  Anatoly could read anyone just by looking into his or her eyes.  He had spent the latter part of the last twenty years reading people. Even though he was a mobster, he abhorred killing and only resorted to it when necessary.  He could see many emotions in Roy.  Love, hate, kindness and rage all ran together. Looking over Roy’s shoulder, he noticed a young woman asleep on a gurney.  Releasing Roy’s hand, he walked over to her. Oliver followed close behind.

“Your sister does not look good my friend,” he said with disappointment.  “Her face is sunken in and she has very dark circles under her eyes.  Chances are this is her first real sleep in weeks.”

“We had to give her sedatives to keep her under.  She went wild when we tried to speak with her.  It was like a wild animal had taken over.  I’ve never seen anything like it.  Can you help us?”  Oliver pleaded.

“Perhaps. Let me have my bag,” Anatoly said and reached out.  Oliver handed him the bag and Anatoly took a few minutes to dig through it.  Pulling out his toiletry bag, he pulled out a toothbrush holder.

“I hope you have more than a toothbrush in there dude,” Roy said.

Anatoly looked across the gurney at the young man.  It was very clear he cared a great deal for his friend’s sister. Anatoly was a sucker for love. That was the one thing he could never quite turn his back on.  Thankfully he was always able to hide it form his enemies.

“This is a very highly concentrated antidote for Invincible.  I developed it myself in Russia. Very few people know I have it, and I keep that little secret to myself.  We’ve had some issues with this drug in my homeland.  A few of my men tested it and when it was discovered that it was too dangerous for the open market, I forbid my men to sell it. It has caused a great deal of problems,” he explained.  Turning back to Oliver, he added, “I’m a little concerned about your sister got it into her system.”

“I guess we’ll find out once she wakes up…if she wakes up,” Oliver replied. 

Just then Felicity put her hand in Oliver’s and squeezed.  “We will,” she said and looked at Anatoly.  “Thea is nothing if not a fighter.  Let’s face it, she could probably kick all our Asses.”

Oliver smiled. He knew Felicity was right. Roy laughed.  They all knew “Speedy” well enough to know that she could fight and survive this.  Oliver watched as Anatoly removed a small hypodermic needle from the handle of a toothbrush. Impressive! 

“How much and when was her last sedative?”  Anatoly asked.

Looking at her watch, Felicity said, “I gave her twenty cc’s almost eight hours ago.”

“Ok, we should be fine then.  I’m not 100% sure how this will react with your sedative, but I’m almost sure it won’t kill her,” Anatoly said.

“Almost sure? Anatoly, that’s not enough of a guarantee. I can’t allow my sister to die,” Oliver pleaded.

“Yeah! If you’re not sure, maybe we should try something else,” Roy added in exasperation.

“There is nothing else gentlemen.  The antidote is the only thing that will kill the drug in her system, especially if she’s been exposed to it over a long period of time.  Do you even know how long she’s been on it?”  He asked.

Oliver thought for a moment.  “Well, Felicity was taken just over five months ago.  That was last time we saw her…sane.  Well, somewhat sane anyway.  It’s only been in the last few weeks that we’ve known she’s been back in town.”

“So at worst, she’s been exposed for four straight months.  That is a long time my friend.  We don’t have any other choice,” Anatoly said.  “To my knowledge, that is the longest anyone has every survived the exposure to this drug.  We need to act now,” he added.

Oliver looked from Roy to Anatoly and then back to Felicity at his side.  He trusted Anatoly with his life.  Something told him to continue to trust him. Looking back to his friend, he nodded in agreement.

Anatoly carefully measured the dose.  Based upon Thea’s size and weight, he decided to err on the side of caution. He didn’t want to overwhelm her system with too many drugs.  As it was, she was in for a long haul towards recovery if she survived this. “Can someone swab her arm with alcohol, please?”  He asked.

Felicity moved over to the mobile med cart and removed a pre-moistened alcohol swab. A cinch was not necessary because Thea was so malnourished that her veins were clearly visible. Moving next to Anatoly, she generously swabbed Thea’s arm.  Anatoly slowly moved the needle into Thea’s arm and administered the antidote. Recapping the needle, he took a step back.

“Now we wait my friends,” he said.  “Got any Russian vodka for an old friend?”

Oliver smiled, “Of course.  Come on.” Arm in arm, the two of them made their back to the lounge area of the lair.

Felicity looked up at Roy.  Roy never removed his eyes from Thea’s face.  Reaching across the gurney, Felicity grabbed his hand.  “Hey,” she said.

Roy looked up at her. The strain of the worry was clearly taking its toll on him.  He never stopped believing they’d find Thea.  He never fully accepted Felicity was dead, even though they had proof of it. His unwavering convictions, or utter stubbornness as Diggle liked to point out, prodded the rest of the team on for months.

“This is going to work. We need to trust it,” Felicity said. Roy simply nodded in agreement because there was nothing else he could do.

>>\--------------->

Thea noticed a small light behind Roy.  It didn’t seem like anymore than a pinprick, but it was light nonetheless.  It fascinated her and she started to slowly move towards it. Roy had suddenly disappeared but his ‘I love you’ echoed inside her head. 

Getting to that light was all she wanted to do right now.  It had to be better than staying on the dark streets of the Glades. Her feet didn’t feel so raw anymore and when she looked down, she noticed soft sand cushioned her feet as she took each step.  Stopping, she bent down and picked some up in her hand.  The sand was finer than the finest powder and slipped through her hand easily. Taking a few more tentative steps, she looked behind her.  The sand extended as far back as five hundred feet and the buildings of the Glades were much farther away than before.  Looking again towards the light, she noticed it was about the size of a doorway now. That had to be a good sign. So she continued to walk slowly towards it. She hoped…well, she wasn’t sure what she hoped, but she wanted to believe it was going to be something better than where she’d been.


	16. Philosophy from a friend and a forever happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M for mature. I wanted to right a little more fluff, but I have big plans for the next few chapters. So stay tuned.

“Mm, I don’t think I’ve ever tasted anything so good,” Anatoly sighed.

“They don’t have cheeseburgers in Russian Anatoly?”  Felicity asked with a laugh.

“They do my dear, but not this good.  This alone could make me want to become an American citizen,” he said.

Anatoly, Felicity and Oliver sat in the Big Belly Burger to discuss what the next steps would be for Thea.  Now that she had shown a little improvement, they were hopeful, but Anatoly said her recovery will be long and hard.  Oliver was seriously worried about her.  Anatoly rattled on about the importance of family and how much their love would help her. Aside from all of his other talents, he was a bit of philosopher. 

“I will head back home in a few days, once I know your sister is ok my friend. As much as I enjoy our time together, I have some things to take care of back home,” he said.

“I understand, believe me.  I can’t thank you enough for getting here so fast and helping us,” Oliver said. 

Felicity excused herself to the restroom and Anatoly decided to take that moment to remind Oliver of his responsibilities and ask about his intentions to his blonde friend. “Oliver, Thea will need a great deal of help over the next few weeks.  She will still crave the drug.  I have a friend here in Starling City that may be able to help you; a sort of nursemaid if you will.  She’s a good friend and discreet.  I trust her with my life, and she has experience with this drug.”

“Thank you. I considered contacting our old maid and nanny Raisa, but was afraid to let her in on too much of what is really going on with my nighttime activities.  I’d rather not bring anyone else in on my secrets if I can help it,” Oliver said.

“I understand,” Anatoly nodded.  “Now, what are your plans?”

“Well I guess I can move Thea in with me, and …” he started.

“That’s not what I meant.  I’m talking about our lovely Miss Smoak.  It is very clear you love her and she you.  I’m concerned that you are not doing justice to that,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

Oliver thought for a moment.  Was he that transparent? Anatoly had only been around he and Felicity a couple of times, including this visit.  He hadn’t really thought too far ahead where his relationship with Felicity was going.  He was still getting used to her being alive.  “I do love her,” he admitted to Anatoly.

“Well, all I can is that young woman deserves to be loved with a whole heart. I hope you know that and cherish her. If I were to hear otherwise…well, let’s just say I may forget how grateful I am that you saved my life,” he said and smiled, but Oliver was pretty sure he was more serious than anything.

When he and Felicity arrived back at her apartment that evening, he could barely keep his eyes open. Diggle and Anatoly watched over Thea so that he and Felicity could rest.  Thea’s vital signs had slightly improved and Anatoly told Oliver that was a good sign and that he should try to rest because the hard part will come when she awakens. Oliver was so tired. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this tired.  Not when he fought Malcolm Merlyn, not even after he fought Slade.  In fact, he hadn’t been this tired since he thought he’d lost Felicity. 

Standing just inside the apartment doorway, Felicity closed the door gently and locked it. Oliver’s back was to her and his shoulders were slightly slumped.  She felt deeply for him.  She knew he was struggling with guilt on top of being completely exhausted.  Putting her hands on his shoulders, she reached to help him out of his jacket.

“A hot shower will do you good.  Why don’t you go ahead and I’ll bring you some tea?”  Felicity said gently.

With barely enough energy, Oliver nodded his head and headed towards her bedroom…their bedroom now. When he entered the bedroom, he started to remove his clothes as he walked towards the bathroom. His shirt felt too tight and his palms were damp.  He removed his shoes and socks and made quick work of his cargo pants, pulling them down along with his boxer briefs in one motion.  Gathering his clothes into a pile, he picked them up and laid them on top of her hamper. One thing Oliver never was, was messy.

He was tired, but he wanted to hold his girl.  So instead of a shower, he ran the bath.  Felicity’s tub was a large old style, claw foot tub that could easily fit two people, and even if it didn’t, she could sit on his lap.  He grinned for a moment.  The lavender soap and bath salts still sat on the counter and he poured a generous amount of both into the tub.  After checking the temperature and making a few adjustments, he slowly descended into the water.  Sighing, he closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the tub.

“Well this is an interesting sight,” a soft voice brought him out of his reverie.

Opening his eyes, he looked up at Felicity.  She was smiling down at him softy with two cups of tea in her hands.  She had changed out of her clothes and was wearing her pink robe that had been laying across her chair in the bedroom. She had put her long blonde hair up into a messy bun.  Leaning down, she handed a cup to Oliver and sat on the closed toilet.  She still couldn’t believe she was here, with him, like this. If someone would have told her a year ago that this is how they would be, she would have laughed hysterically and babbled until her head exploded.  She’d loved him for so long that even now she had a hard time believing it.

“You ok?” She asked. 

“Mm, yeah, I guess so. It was good news to hear Anatoly say she had slightly improved, right?”  He asked.

“Absolutely! I trust him Oliver. He cares about you. If he says it was our only choice, then it was our only choice,” she said.  “We just need to be patient.”

“You’re right,” he said. Oliver watched her sip her tea. The love that showed in her eyes was so evident.  He smiled at her and she smiled back.  “You know, there is plenty of room in here for you.”

Felicity smiled wide and raised an eyebrow.  “Oh really?”

“Yeah. Do you really think a man like myself would sit in a tub full of lavender bath salts and bubble bath without an ulterior motive?  You’re blonde, but you’re not that blonde,” he said with a chuckle.

Felicity rose and sat her teacup on the vanity.  She took Oliver’s cup from him and sat it next to hers.  She stood there momentarily and smiled.  She felt shy and didn’t know why.  He had explored every part of her body just over twenty-four hours ago. She shouldn’t feel nervous, but she was. She hesitated and furrowed her brow.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver asked and frowned.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked away.  “I guess I’m nervous.”

“About?” He asked.

“Oliver, you’ve been with a lot of women, I mean a lot.  Every time I saw you with another woman, I joked to myself wow, another notch in the bedpost.  Well, all except Sara. I know she means something to you. I guess I just wonder if you and I…we…” she babbled.

Sensing her inner turmoil, Oliver leaned forward and pulled himself up and out of the tub. Felicity watched as the bubbles and water cascaded down his perfect body.  His body was always perfect to her.  She never really saw the scars.  Oh, she knew they were there, she’d seen them a hundred times, but they never bothered her. She only saw him for what he really was…beautiful.

Oliver remained standing in the tub and grabbed her hand.  Placing his other hand on her cheek, he said,  “Felicity, what I feel for you is beyond anything I have ever experienced before and beyond anything I could ever imagine feeling, or even deserving.”

Felicity looked up into his blue eyes.  It always amazed her how little he thought of himself.  Her eyes softened.  “Oliver, you deserve it and so much more.”

He gently pulled her towards him until they were nose to nose.  He slowly untied the belt at her waist.  The edges of the robe fell open.  Looking down, he noticed she had removed her bra but not her panties. Looking up to her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her.  He placed his hands on her shoulders and slowly pushed the robe to the floor. Her panties were black boy shorts with white polka dots and white lace trim at the waist and legs. A tiny pink bow rested just below her navel on the white lace.  Very Felicity and very sexy.

Felicity stood there and watched him as he leaned down, hooked his fingers into the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them down her legs, all the while trailing kisses down her body.  When her panties got to the floor, she stepped out of them and Oliver sat back down in the tub.

Looking back up at Felicity, he said, “Get in this tub my little IT girl, now.”

Felicity smiled and stepped into the tub.  Oliver opened his legs and she turned her back to him to sit between them.  Sighing, she leaned back against his chest and let the soothing heat of the water relax her.  Oliver put his arms around her and pulled her tighter to his chest.  They sat like that for a few minutes, letting the silence surround them. It felt so good to have just a little bit heaven after dealing with so much hell.

Felicity could feel Oliver’s arousal at her lower back and she suddenly couldn’t sit still. When she moved against him, he groaned and put his lips to her ear.  He moved his hands down her shoulders and slowly moved his hands towards her breasts. Her nipples puckered instantly just knowing his intent.  When his hands came to rest on them and slowly moved back and forth to tease her nipples, she moaned.

Oliver slowly moved his left hand down Felicity’s stomach while his right continued to taunt and tease her right nipple.  Felicity’s hands that had been resting on his thighs now slightly clenched them, and when his hand reached her clit, she let her head fall back on his left shoulder. “Oh God,” she sighed.

Oliver smiled into her hair.  Now that he had her back, he wasn’t going to waste a single moment.  He wanted to make her happy.  For the first time in a very long time, he felt hope. Anatoly’s words had truly sunk in. When he first returned to Starling City, he was a shell of a man.  He felt like a killing machine and only had one goal.  No matter how hard he tried, he pushed away those who loved him the most.  When he realized that saving his city was more than a one-man job, he had to learn to trust Diggle and then later Felicity.  He now trusted both of them with his life.  He couldn’t imagine his life without either one of them.  When he realized his feelings for Felicity were far more than a professional one, he did everything in his power to keep her at arms length.  Now, all he wanted to do was keep her within arms reach.  It still amazes him how much has changed in a short amount of time.

Oliver picked up the tempo of his fingers and applied just a bit more pressure as he rubbed her folds back and forth.  Her fingernails clutched his legs tighter and he welcomed the minor pinch into his skin. Just then, Felicity raised both her hands and placed them around Oliver’s neck.  Tilting her head back and to the side a bit, her mouth met his in a searing kiss.  Oliver continued his assault and he knew Felicity was close.  The harder he pressed down, the harder her tongue stroked his mouth. Her tongue began to dance with his in rhythm with his fingers and her hands pulled his head down harder 

One by one, stars formed behind Felicity’s eyes.  She was afraid if she let Oliver’s mouth go that she might actually drown in the tub. Suddenly, the stars burst behind her eyes as her orgasm ripped through her body.  Pulling her mouth away from Oliver’s with a pop, she cried his name out and shuddered beneath the bubbles, sloshing some of the bath water onto the floor next to them.  No longer feeling modest, Felicity rose from the tub and stepped out of the tub. Looking down at Oliver, she held her hand out as an invitation for him to join her. 

Standing before Felicity, Oliver placed his hands on either side of her face and pulled her towards him for a kiss.  The kiss was nothing short of passionate.  Blindly, Felicity reached for the towel behind her on the door and threw it over his shoulders. Using the edges of the towel, she brought him closer to her until they were both almost inside the confines of the towel. 

Felicity took her time drying Oliver.  She moved in slow, deliberate motions with the towel.  She started with his chest and arms.  Twirling her hand, she made him turn so should could dry is back and very firm ass. Nudging his arm, she turned him towards her again and moved the towel lower, gently brushing past his erection. Kneeling down on the floor of the bathroom, she dried his legs slowly.  She relished in the feel of the hard muscles of his thighs and calves, and sighed. Looking up, she noticed him staring at her intently.

Oliver thought he would loose his footing as he watched Felicity get to down on her knees in front of him.  The softness of the towel combined with the firmness of her hands on him made him impossibly harder. So much so that his dick was sticking straight up towards his abdomen.  Then she looked up at him with those big blue eyes and smiled a wicked smile that made his stomach clench.

Leaving the towel on the floor, Felicity leaned up on her knees and wrapped her hands around the back of Oliver’s thighs.  She started placing light kisses at his belly button.  She moved her lips from side to side and breathed his scent deeply into her nose. The mix of her favorite scents, lavender and Oliver, wreaked havoc on her senses and she felt an instant clutching of her inner muscles.  She was already so aroused, she could hardly stand it and it made her feel…bold.

Before she knew what she was doing, she ran her lips and nose up and down Oliver’s erection. His sudden breath intake assured her she was doing to him exactly what he just did to her in the tub. Opening her mouth, she ran her tongue around the tip and moaned.  He tasted so good.

“Fel…i…city,” Oliver moaned her name slowly.  Felicity took him fully in her mouth and his knees almost buckled.  Her hands had a firm grasp on his thighs and he had to put his hand on the counter to keep himself from collapsing.

Felicity did a mental fist pump.  Hollowing out her cheeks, she took him all the way to the back of her throat.  When she brought the tip back to her lips, she ran her tongue around the head again and gently sucked.  She repeated this motion several times before Oliver grabbed her under her arms and pulled her up into his.

“There is no way I’m going to last standing here,” he said with grunt and picked her up. He quickly carried her to the bed and gently laid her down with her legs dangling over the side of the bed. Kneeling down between her knees, he pulled her further towards him and the edge of the bed until the apex of her legs reached his chest.  Barely giving her a moment to adjust, he quickly leaned down and took her clit into his mouth. She arched her back; she grabbed the blanket in her hands and cried out.  Her head was swimming as another orgasm barreled towards her.

Just then, Oliver grabbed her legs, pushed her further up the bed, threw both her legs over each of his shoulders and impaled himself inside of her just as her orgasm took hold. Felicity never felt anything so intense. She cried out his name, leaned up, grabbed his face and kissed him with a ferocity that surprised even her.

Oliver continued his assault on her body.  He couldn’t get enough of her.  He couldn’t get deep enough. He couldn’t touch her enough. Moving her legs around his waist, he leaned into the kiss.  Her lips were soft and swollen.  Her tongue was warm and wet. Her hands held tightly onto his shoulders as he moved above her.  Pulling her hands down, he pinned them next to her head as his lips moved down her neck and to her breasts.  Taking her nipple into his mouth, he sucked until he heard her cry out.  He quickly stopped.

“Am I hurting you?” He asked desperately.

Felicity smiled. “Never.”

Oliver grinned and kissed her with a sudden tenderness.  He slowed the motion of his hips and reigned in the fierce emotions raging inside of him. It scared him how much he loved her and even though he said those words out loud, he still worried she didn’t believe him.  “You know how much I love you, right?”  He asked, looking deep into her eyes.

Felicity cocked her head and stared at him a moment.  She’d seen Oliver express many different emotions in the few years she had known him, but what she saw in those eyes now was completely unknown to her. She saw vulnerability in him that she had never seen before.  Sure, there had been a few times when he was unsure of himself or felt defeated, but she had never seen him vulnerable the way he was at that moment. He needed this affirmation and she was going to make sure he got it.

Putting her hands on either side of his face, she leaned up and kissed him.  “I know,” she whispered.  “I love you so much it scares me,” she added with a slight smile.

He smiled then because he knew she felt the same depth of emotions that he did. He would do whatever it took to protect her.  He would love her until his last breath.  He knew there was nothing they couldn’t do as long as they did it together.  Hope spread out from his heart and engulfed him, and as he continued making love to her, he actually believed for the first time that their happiness was forever.


	17. A Surprise Night Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Floyd Lawton returns to help, but will he be welcomed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am overwhelmed by the positive responses and kudos. Thank you! So another of my favorite Arrow characters has returned. I hope you enjoy it!

Oliver awoke with start. Had he heard a noise? He looked around the room. Felicity lay nestled next to him peaceful in sleep.  Slowly and quietly, he slipped out of bed and quickly put on his sweatpants that were lying across the chair next to bed.  His senses hardly ever failed him and he felt a presence in the apartment. Something was off.

He crept down the hall towards the living room while staying close to the wall. He could hear movement in the kitchen. Peeking around the corner of the wall, he saw a shadow moving across the kitchen.  He couldn’t tell who it was but they seemed to be rummaging around for something.  Spotting Felicity’s bat at the end of the hallway, he reached for it.  He remembered teasing her about it.  Something like a bat wouldn’t stop a bullet or an arrow, or something along those lines.  She laughed at him and said “a Louisville slugger can do more damage with the right amount of force behind it.”

Coming around the corner with the bat at the ready, he was just about to sneak up on the intruder when a voice said, “I’m not here to hurt you Queen.”  Oliver knew that voice and was momentarily stunned. What the hell?

“Lawton?” Oliver asked.  “What the hell are you doing here and why did you sneak in?”

Floyd turned around and smirked.  He knew he probably shouldn’t have snuck into Felicity’s apartment, but he also wasn’t expecting Oliver Queen to be staying there either.  He had planned on surprising her.  Now that plan was shot to hell.  Clearly the relationship that was jokingly known as Smoak and Arrow back at Argus had been rekindled.  He was happy for Felicity but still wary of Queen.  He didn’t trust the former playboy with his friend.

“I came to see Felicity,” Lawton replied.

“You broke into her apartment in the middle of the night to see her?  You could have called,” Oliver sneered.

“Hmm, not my style Queen.  I like to make an entrance. Besides, it’s technically early morning,” Lawton said.

“Oliver?” Felicity’s voice came from down the hall.  “Is everything ok? I thought I heard you talking to….” Felicity stopped midsentence has she came around the corner.  Momentarily stunned, she was glad she had the presence of mind to throw on her robe. “Floyd?”  She said with a smile and ran to him for a hug.

Floyd smiled then. Oliver didn’t even realize he could smile.  Clearly Felicity and Lawton had grown fond of each other while she was working with Argus. Oliver felt a pang of jealously. He knew he shouldn’t. He knew Felicity loved him. She had confessed as much on numerous occasions, but he couldn’t help but feel that little bit of jealousy for those five lost months.  He watched Lawton momentarily close his eyes as if to savor the hug. Clearly Lawton had strong feelings for his girl.

Lawton looked behind Felicity at Oliver.  He saw the jealously and smiled inwardly.  Oh this is going to be fun.  Hugging Felicity tighter, he said, “How are you Lis?”

“I’m great,” Felicity said and pulled back.  “What are you doing here?  Oh God. Don’t tell me Amanda sent you to come get me.  I’m not going back Floyd. No way, nuh uh. Starling City may not be the world, but it’s my home.  Almost everyone I know and love is here.  You can tell her…”

“Felicity,” Oliver interrupted.  “Why don’t we let Lawton tell you why he’s here before jumping to conclusions?”

“Of course,” Felicity sighed.  “I’m sorry for babbling Floyd.  I guess I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon.  Let me go get dressed and I’ll make us some coffee.  Make yourself at home in the living room.”

Felicity turned to retreat back down the hallway towards her bedroom.  When she was out of earshot, Oliver turned to Lawton and said, “Whatever reason brought you here, and you should know that I am not letting her go.”  Leaving Lawton with that statement, he followed Felicity down the hall.

Ten minutes later, the three of them were sitting in the living room with fresh coffee and inquisitive expressions; although each of them thinking totally different things. Oliver didn’t like that Lawton was there. Him being there could not have been a good sign.  Felicity was happy to see her friend and a little apprehensive to his presence. A part of her hoped there was an Argus mission she could sink her teeth into from Starling City. Floyd Lawton was just plain old curious. Felicity had talked to him about Oliver many times over their five months together.  He knew she loved Oliver without a doubt, but he also knew Oliver’s history.  Floyd always did his homework on those he disliked.

“So, what brings you here Floyd?” Felicity asked.

“Amanda got word about your…situation with the Invincible drug.  Apparently this is starting to become a worldwide epidemic. Recent intel reveals the big player here in the States has moved his operations to your fair city. She’s got ops working in other countries, but she sent me here to see if I can assist you guys in taking him out,” Lawton stated.

“We don’t need your help,” Oliver sneered.

Felicity quickly jerked her head to Oliver and frowned.  She knew Lawton wasn’t exactly a favorite of the team, but she wouldn’t stand for his rudeness to her friend.  Lawton was there for her for five months; five months that felt like an emotional hell. “Oliver!  Don’t be rude,” she said.

“There’s more Lis,” Lawton added.  “The man running the operation here in Starling was the brother of Dmitry Yaakov. His name is Andrei.”

Felicity’s mouth dropped open and she shuddered.  Flashes of their mission flew inside her head.  Fearful she’d drop her coffee mug, she carefully placed it on the table in front of her.  This was not good.

“Who is Dmitry Yaakov?” Oliver asked.

“Dmitry was…” Lawton started.

“He was a monster of the worst kind,” Felicity interjected.  “He was the leader of the Coalition, the group that Lawton and I were tasked to hunt down and stop.  Not only was he the leader, he was beyond evil.  He would stop at nothing to get any information he needed. He would torture his victims. So much so that many times all Argus would find would be…pieces.”  Felicity visibly swallowed the thickness in her voice.

Oliver cringed. Felicity should have never have had to deal with that.  His anger for Amanda resurfaced.  He started at Lawton from across the coffee and table and shook his head slightly. The anger radiated from him and Lawton picked up on it right away.

“How do we know this guy is Dmitry’s brother?”  Felicity’s voice wavered with her question.  “I thought we uncovered all the possible links when we captured him.”

“I don’t know what to tell you Lis.  You know Amanda doesn’t exactly share easily,” Lawton said.

“We need to ask Anatoly about this guy,” Felicity said.

“Anatoly Knyazev?” Lawton asked.

“Yes. He’s here helping us with Oliver’s sister. He brought an antidote. We have…”

“Felicity!” Oliver interjected loudly. Realizing he practically shouted, he lowered his voice.  “You and I need to have a conversation,” he said.  Looking at Lawton, he added, “in private.”

Lawton laughed. “I can take the hint Queen. My orders are to stay until this is done.  Have your conversation, but know that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my partner, and know that I will never be far away,” he said.  Looking at Felicity, he put his hand on her shoulder and added, “you have my number.” He noticed Oliver’s slight breath intake at the gesture.

Felicity got up and walked Floyd to the door.  She knew Oliver would not like having him around, but if Andrei was anything like his brother, they were going to need all the help they could get.  She trusted Floyd Lawton.  He had her back many times during their mission.  She was glad he was here.

After Lawton’s departure, Felicity went back to the couch to face the music. She knew she needed to convince not only him, but John as well.  She knew it was not going to be an easy task.

“Oliver, you need to hear me out,” she started.

“Felicity, this is not a good idea on so many levels,” he said.

“Why? Because of John, or because of your jealousy?”  She asked.

Was Oliver that transparent?  He never could fool Felicity.  She always saw right through him.  Apparently those five months hadn’t changed her intuition.  It only heightened it, but there was on thing she may not have realized. His inherit intuition to protect her was stronger now than it ever was before, and he needed her to understand that.

“Felicity, John is not going to be happy about this.  You have to know that.  Aside from that, Lawton cannot be trusted.  He’s a wild card, unpredictable. How many times have we tried to take him down?”  Oliver asked.

“Oliver, I trust him with my life just as much as I trust you.  I know he couldn’t be trusted before, but you have no idea what happened during those five months.  We worked tirelessly to take down the Coalition.  Do you want to know how many times Floyd saved me in those five months?” She said in her loud voice.

Oliver watched the emotions play across her face.  Yes, he was jealous of Lawton for those five months and yes, he still believed Lawton was unpredictable, but when Felicity looked at him in the way she was looking at him in the moment, he would move heaven and earth to do whatever she wanted.  He sighed and took her hands in his.

“I love you Oliver, and you need to trust me on this,” she said.

“I do trust you, more than you will ever know,” he said.

Felicity smiled and leaned towards him to kiss him.  The kiss was soft and a whisper of her feelings.  “Come on.  We need to call everyone.  The best way to do this is together, as a team.  It’s always been the best way and it always will be,” she said.

Oliver smiled and rose from the couch, pulling Felicity with him.  Moving past the kitchen, he grabbed his phone from the counter and started dialing as they made their way to the bedroom to get ready for the day.

**Author's Note:**

> So after feeling a few weeks of withdrawal from the show, I decided to explore some possible store lines. This one is still in progress and I will post more chapters as I continue to develop the story. I'm hoping to go into a few fun directions with it. This is my first time in "publishing" my writing and I hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to leave feedback and try to be kind. Thanks!


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